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Meeting with Jarkiholi to strategise 2028 state polls: DKS
Deputy CM DK Shivakumar dismissed rumors linking his meeting with Satish Jarkiholi to leadership changes, stating they discussed 2028 elections instead.
Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday dismissed speculation that his recent meeting with state minister and senior Congress leader Satish Jarkiholi was linked to the ongoing leadership change crisis in the state, saying the discussion focused solely on preparing the party for the 2028 assembly elections.
Shivakumar, who also serves as state Congress chief, described Jarkiholi as “a big asset to the party” with whom he shares “a very cordial relationship.”
“It has been two and a half years since we assumed office. We discussed what needed to be done in the remaining two and a half years. There was nothing more to the discussion,” he said.
Shivakumar also downplayed his own ambitions for the chief ministerial position. “CM post or higher position is not as important as working together with everyone in the party and bringing the party back to power in the state,” he said.
Reports that some Congress legislators had traveled to Delhi to lobby on his behalf were also dismissed. “I don’t know about it. They must have gone there as they are aspiring to become ministers when the Cabinet reshuffle takes place,” he said. Any decisions regarding leadership, he added, would be made by the party’s senior leadership.
The statements come a day after a late-night meeting between Shivakumar and Jarkiholi prompted speculation over potential shifts in state leadership. Jarkiholi, a close aide of chief minister Siddaramaiah, reiterated his support for the sitting CM. “There is always leadership inside the party. In any party, a leader is picked, and we have picked Siddaramaiah. It was the same in the past, and (even) today. There won’t be any change in that,” he told reporters.
Often considered a contender for the chief ministerial post himself, Jarkiholi also downplayed the meeting, describing it as part of routine consultations. “There is no need to attribute special meaning to the meeting,” he said, noting that he had met Shivakumar several times in the past and that Tuesday’s discussion was along the same lines
