Bengaluru, March 19 (). Amid the ongoing leadership tussle in Karnataka Congress, Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar said on Thursday whether there will be a cabinet reshuffle in the state or whether the power-sharing formula will be implemented, only time will decide.
It is noteworthy that Shivakumar is considered the main contender for the post of Chief Minister and earlier also he had talked about a power-sharing agreement with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, which was done in the presence of the party high command.
Speaking to reporters at his Bengaluru residence, Shivakumar avoided giving a direct answer on the issue and said, “Time will tell.” He refused to comment on the news of a separate meeting with Priyanka Gandhi and said that he will not make public what he discussed with whom.
When asked by AICC General Secretary K.C. When asked about Venugopal’s statement that the post of Chief Minister is not vacant, Shivakumar said, “He has also said that only the party and the MLAs will decide.”
Regarding the by-elections to be held on two assembly seats, he said that in the last two months, reports have been collected up to the booth level and opinions of party leaders have been taken. He said that AICC officials will also arrive in the next two-three days and the final decision will be taken by the high command.
On the question of nepotism regarding ticket distribution, Shivkumar said that here the victory of the party, not the family, is important. He said that both the seats are related to influential leaders and the decision will be taken after discussing with all the parties.
Taking a dig at Aishwarya Kumar, daughter of late Union Minister Ananth Kumar, on the allegation that ‘Karnataka is being made a cash cow for Assam elections’, Shivakumar said that he does not know who she is.
On the demand for cabinet reshuffle and giving opportunity to new faces, he said that it is not wrong to aspire to become a minister. The Chief Minister has already talked about reshuffle, so the leaders are trying their luck.
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dsc