(MENAFN- IANS) Bengaluru, Nov 25 (IANS) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said on Tuesday that the final decision on the Chief Minister's post is a confidential matter between a group of party leaders, and that he would not discuss it publicly or cause embarrassment to the party.

“I do not want to weaken my party. If the party exists, we exist. If party workers are there, we exist. Our Chief Minister has made a statement. He is a senior, an asset to the party, and has completed seven and a half years in power. He has also said that he will present the next budget. It is a matter of happiness,” he said.

Shivakumar, who is vying for the Chief Minister's post, travelled to the Bengaluru International Airport on Tuesday in the same car as Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.

Shivakumar is a contender for the Chief Minister's post, as the government completed two and a half years in office.

He said that he has not asked the central leadership for the Chief Minister's post.

“I have faith in my conscience. We have to act according to our conscience. Siddaramaiah has also built and strengthened the party. We must all come together to focus on the 2028 Assembly elections and the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. That should be our goal,” Shivakumar added.

He said that people in all four constituencies of the district have supported the party because they want to see Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister.

He said that people voted for the collective leadership of the party.“They did not vote only for me. In all 224 constituencies, our party workers have worked harder than I have,” he said.

On MLAs Delhi visit, Shivakumar said that those who aspire for ministerial positions have gone.

Responding to the Chief Minister's Economic Advisor, Basavaraj Rayareddy and Sadananda Gowda regarding power sharing, he said that he is not their spokesperson, and cannot comment on anyone's statements.

He said that no party can survive without a strong foundation, adding that this is the foundation of the Congress party.

“Just like societies, PLDs, municipalities, and panchayats are our assets, this is also our asset. There may be only 300 small votes here, but 300 leaders have come to ensure the victory of the workers. That is why, despite the workload, I have come to vote. If we do not come, people in villages will question why they should vote when leaders themselves have not come,” he said.

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