BENGALURU: Congress MLA said deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar will become the chief minister soon as per the decision taken by the high command. Ramanagara MLA Iqbal Hussain clarified that Shivakumar will become the chief minister of Karnataka within three months.
'When the decision was taken in New Delhi that day, Shivakumar and I were together. Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, senior leader Sonia Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge decided about leadership change after Siddaramaiah completes two and a half years as chief minister,' Iqbal Hussain said. Iqbal Hussain, a close aide of Shivakumar, was responding to chief minister's son Dr Yathindra’s statement that the high command had not hinted about any leadership change.
Ministers K N Rajanna and Satish Jarkiholi had also said that there would be a leadership change in Karnataka by the end of September. However, Shivakumar denied this.
Meantime, the ruling party MLAs themselves have raised serious allegations of corruption in government projects. AICC General Secretary Randeep Surchevala, who is in charge of Karnataka, is holding talks in Bengaluru today to resolve this issue amicably. With allegations being made against the chief minister from within the Congress itself, it is reported that the opposition parties, including the BJP, are preparing to take it up.