Bengaluru (Karnataka): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday dismissed reports of his bid for the CM's post, saying that the people are "trying to create confusion" as he expressed commitment to the party. Shivakumar clarified that he had not made any comments regarding the leadership issue in Karnataka, but only discussed the "good times" of the state.  "I have not conversed about anything regarding the leadership issue. In this issue, there is some misunderstanding. Some residents spoke that good times are on the way. I said, just look at it. It is not that I don't know; Some media people are trying to create confusion. You need not be confused. I know when my time is. My time is to see that I bring back the Congress government here in Karnataka in 2028. That is my priority," he said. This comes after a person asked him several questions about the Karnataka government at a public outreach campaign at Lalbagh.  However, there are reports of a cabinet reshuffle in the state government. CM Siddaramaiah has called for a dinner meeting of ministers on October 13 but dismissed any speculation about the cabinet reshuffle, saying it will be a casual gathering. "It's been a long time since I invited the ministers for a meal, so I've called them just for that. The dinner has no connection with the cabinet reshuffle", CM Siddaramaiah said.

Shivakumar's Warning to Congress Cadre

However, Shivakumar last week warned against his colleagues in Congress publicly discussing the change of guard in the Karnataka government.  He said that he instructed the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Working President, GC Chandrashekar, to give notices to those who spoke on the change of Chief Minister. "We don't need to react to what the BJP says. Let them say what they want to say. I have instructed our working president, GC Chandrashekar, to give notice to them. No one should say anything related to the CM post," Shivakumar told reporters."No need to discuss the CM post sharing. CM Siddaramaiah and I are working together. We are following the guidelines of the high command," he added. After Congress won the 2023 Assembly election in Karnataka, Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah reportedly contended for the Chief Ministerial post. After several rounds of discussions between the leaders and the party's central leadership, Siddaramaiah was chosen for the post. There were reports at the time that Shivakumar agreed after a rotational chief ministership arrangement was agreed upon. But the Congress high command never publicly said so. However, many central leaders and Siddaramaiah said that there was no such agreement. The Chief Minister had said that he would complete his five-year term.

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