Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Clarifies Son's Statement on Political Succession Was Misinterpreted

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah clarified on Friday that his son Yathindra Siddaramaiah did not name anyone as his successor.

A controversy erupted within the Congress Karnataka unit after party MLC Yathindra's statement on Wednesday: "He (Siddaramaiah) is at the fag end of his political life. At such a time, a leader is needed to guide and lead those who have progressive thinking, ideologically." He mentioned Minister Satish Jarkiholi as "a leader with similar progressive ideological thinking" during an event in Chikkodi, Belagavi district.

This statement was interpreted by many as identifying Siddaramaiah's successor, coming at a particularly sensitive time when rumors are circulating in Karnataka's political circles about Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar potentially succeeding Siddaramaiah in November, based on a supposed 'rotational chief minister formula' agreement from 2023.

Siddaramaiah, who will reach the two-and-a-half-year mark as chief minister this November, has consistently maintained that he will complete his full five-year term.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, the Chief Minister blamed media misinterpretation for the controversy: "What can I do if his statement is twisted? I spoke to him (Yathindra) and asked him what exactly he had said. He said he spoke only about principles. He did not say that 'so-and-so' should become chief minister."

When questioned about why such remarks were made amid succession confusion, Siddaramaiah responded, "You people do not stay quiet and keep asking such questions despite saying 'no.'"

Earlier that day, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar offered a cryptic response when asked about the matter: "I am not going to speak now, but I will speak to whomever it is that should be spoken to."

Shivakumar was responding to questions about why Yathindra wasn't served a notice for discussing leadership change, especially since two Congress MLAs—H D Ranganath and H A Iqbal Hussain—were recently issued notices for stating that Shivakumar should become Karnataka's next chief minister.