Congress leaders meet in Delhi on Karnataka elections

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar met with senior Congress party leaders in New Delhi on Tuesday, amid widespread speculation about a potential leadership change in the state. The party leadership, however, stated the meeting focused exclusively on upcoming elections.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge convened the meeting, which was attended by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary K.C. Venugopal. Following the discussions, Venugopal told reporters that the entire discussion was concentrated only on the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and Legislative Council elections of Karnataka. He characterized reports of a leadership change as mere speculation with no reality at all.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah echoed this statement, saying talk of a change was only speculation and that the issue did not come up for discussion. He also said a possible cabinet reshuffle was not discussed.

The formal agenda centered on electoral strategy. Four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka are set to become vacant, with the Congress positioned to win three. Kharge's own seat is due for renewal in June, and he is likely to be re-elected...