The power struggle within the ruling Congress in Karnataka has subsided for now, as the party high command has told Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to continue his position as the state unit chief, party sources said on Sunday.
Shivakumar, along with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, visited New Delhi for two days last Thursday and Friday, during which they met with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
This meeting holds importance as there is a growing movement to replace Shivakumar as the party's state president.
A number of MLAs and Ministers, reportedly from the Siddaramaiah camp, are pushing for Shivakumar to step down as the Congress state president.
They have been pushing for strict enforcement of the party's 'one person, one post' policy.
Since Shivakumar holds both the Deputy Chief Minister and Congress president positions, his critics within the party are demanding his removal.
The argument also suggests that a person holding a ministerial position cannot do justice to the state president’s post as he cannot give time to the party cadres willing to meet him.
However, the party high command is reluctant to replace Shivakumar due to his significant contributions, particularly in securing victory in the assembly elections, the party's strong performance in the Lok Sabha elections, and success in all three assembly bypolls, the sources said.
"The party high command was not inclined to replace Shivakumar at least till November and December this year," a senior party functionary told PTI.
There are reports suggesting that there is an unspoken agreement that Siddaramaiah would lead the first half of Congress' five-year term in Karnataka, after which Shivakumar would take over.
While neither Siddaramaiah nor Shivakumar have confirmed this arrangement, their supporting ministers and MLAs within the party have already started lobbying for their respective leaders.
There have also been talks about a possible Cabinet reshuffle, MLC elections, and alleged attempts to compromise ministers and MLAs, according to sources.
According to sources, a Cabinet reshuffle is not being considered at this moment.
Another party official mentioned that the Congress high command has delegated the responsibility of selecting candidates for the MLC elections to Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.
Regarding the honey trap issue, senior Congress sources revealed that Rahul Gandhi was upset with the way it was raised.
"Gandhi was of the opinion that it shouldn’t have been discussed inside the assembly, especially by Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna," a source said.
Rajanna raised the matter in the Karnataka Assembly, claiming that at least 48 MLAs had been targeted in honey trap schemes.
He was supported by state Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi, who also confirmed that honey trap attempts had been made on certain ministers and MLAs.
Approximately two weeks ago, Rajanna visited New Delhi to brief the party high command about the honey-trap efforts.
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