Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah's "Politics Not Permanent" Comment Fuels Leadership Change Speculation

Bengaluru:

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaih's candid remark that "politics is not permanent" during an informal chat with Congress MLA Belur Gopal Krishna has sparked widespread speculation amid ongoing power struggles within the ruling Congress party over the Chief Minister's position.

The conversation, captured in a video that has gone viral, shows Siddaramaiah telling Gopal Krishna, "Whatever has to happen, let it happen. Is politics my father's property? Politics is not permanent." The exchange took place as they were exiting Vidhana Soudha, though the full context remains unclear.

This statement comes at a sensitive time as internal tensions within the party have intensified following speculation about potential leadership changes after the Congress government reached its halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20.

In what appears to be an attempt by the Congress high command to ease tensions between the two leaders and indicate Siddaramaiah's continued role as Chief Minister for now, both the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister have recently visited each other's residences for breakfast meetings. This gesture seems particularly strategic ahead of the upcoming Belagavi legislature session scheduled to begin on December 8.