Good show in Lok Sabha polls will help Siddaramaiah complete 5-year term as CM, says his son Yathindra

When Congress swept back to power in 2023, it was rumoured that DK Shivakumar would take over reins from Siddaramaiah after two-and-half-years.

Hassan/Bengaluru: Setting off a political foreshock, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s son Dr Yathindra has said that his father can complete a full five-year term “without any hindrance” if Congress wins a good number of Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Yathindra’s earnest appeal at a public meeting in Hassan was seen as a warning that Siddaramaiah could lose his job if Congress failed to win big in Karnataka under his leadership.

“Congress, under Siddaramaiah’s leadership, must face the (Lok Sabha) polls. If Congress, under Siddaramaiah’s leadership, wins the highest number of seats, then we’ll get moral support,” Yathindra, a former lawmaker said.

“With that support, Siddaramaiah can continue as the CM without any hindrance and implement the guarantee schemes for the next five years.”

Yathindra said the guarantees cost Rs 56,000 crore a year. “No other government has given such programmes for the poor. We need moral support for the work being done. By making more Congress MPs win, you must strengthen Siddaramaiah’s hands,” he added.

This statement was seen as Yathindra making a case for Siddaramaiah to continue in office amid speculation that there is a power-sharing agreement that will see Shivakumar occupy the CM’s chair after two-and-a-half years.

Yathindra’s appeal also came a day after senior Rajya Sabha BJP member Lahar Singh Siroya said Siddaramaiah may not be the CM after the Lok Sabha polls.

Shivakumar, a chief ministerial contender who gave Siddaramaiah a tough fight for the top job after the Congress’ convincing win in the Assembly polls, played down Yathindra’s statement.

“There’s no need to twist Yathindra’s statement,” Shivakumar said. “Aspirations and appeals will be there. Even I make appeals seeking strength,” he said.

“Our government will remain strong for five years and nobody can stop that. Siddaramaiah is the CM now. Under his leadership, and with me as the Karnataka Congress president, we’ll face the polls. There’s no doubt that we’ll face the polls under (Siddaramaiah’s) leadership,” Shivakumar said.

Meanwhile, Home Minister G Parameshwara said the Congress high command would decide on changing the chief minister.

“We’ll work together to see to it that Congress wins in all 28 seats. Ultimately, it’s left to citizens on how they react, cooperate and vote for us,” Parameshwara said, adding that Congress has fulfilled its poll promise and people have a good opinion about the government.