Speculation swirled on Monday about a change of chief minister in Karnataka after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge declined to rule out the possibility and the party’s state minder arrived to hold one-to-one discussions with MLAs.

Randeep Surjewala, the Congress general secretary in charge of Karnataka, dismissed the reports about a possible leadership change as a “figment of the imagination”, saying his visit to the state was part of an organisational exercise.

However, Surjewala’s visit comes amid reports of “disgruntlement” within the state Congress, and hours after a minister close to deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar spoke of “a revolutionary political development after September”.

The bad blood between Shivakumar and chief minister Siddaramaiah is an open secret although the duo have been exuding camaraderie in public.

After the May 2023 Assembly elections, the central leadership had to mount pressure on Shivakumar to give up the hot seat for the veteran Siddaramaiah.

As reporters questioned Kharge on Monday about a possible change of chief minister, he said: “That’s in the hands of the Congress high command. None can say here what’s going on in the high command.”

He added: “This is left to them; they have the power to take further action. But, unnecessarily, one should not create a problem.”

However, there’s a context to the controversy.

H.A. Iqbal Hussain, an MLA loyal to Shivakumar, had on Sunday said that his leader was inching closer to the top of the Karnataka government.

Another loyalist, cooperation minister K.N. Rajanna, seemed to echo him, saying: “I’d already hinted at a revolutionary political development in the state after September. I’m not beating around the bush… I have mentioned a specific time period.”

Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar put up a show of unity before the media at Mysore airport on Monday.

“Shivakumar and I are doing well. Our government will stand strong like a
rock during the entire five years,” Siddaramaiah said. “There have been efforts from certain quarters to create a division between us. But that’s not going to happen; we are united.”

Surjewala’s meetings with MLAs come at a time when several of them have expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s performance.

B.R. Patil, the Aland MLA, has alleged bribery in public housing allotments while Kagwad MLA Raju Kage has hinted at resigning, citing delays in development projects and funds release and alleging the administration has “completely collapsed”.

Surjewala told reporters on Monday that he was meeting all Congress MLAs individually to understand the status of the implementation of the promised schemes in their constituencies.

BJP sees ‘ghost’

The BJP, which has been watching the drama gleefully, seized on Kharge’s comment to wonder what kind of high command the Congress must have for the party president not to be part of it.

“The Congress High Command is like a ghost. It’s unseen, unheard, but always felt,” BJP leader Tejaswi Surya posted on X.

“Even the Congress president, who people thought is the high command, whispers its name and says it’s not him. So eerie.”