Karnataka Leadership Tussle: Jarkiholi Emerges as Potential Successor to Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should project Public Works Department Minister Satish Jarkiholi as the next chief ministerial face, former minister H Anjaneya said Tuesday. His remarks at an event held in Chitradurga came amid another round of speculation over a change of guard in the state. “Wherever he (Satish) goes, people raise slogans that the next CM will be Satish Jarkiholi. In the past, he organised people and rallied behind Siddaramaiah . Siddaramaiah, after completing his term, should project Satish Jarkiholi (as the next CM face),” Anjaneya, who is a Siddaramaiah loyalist, said. The former minister said he “heartily wished that Satish had the opportunity to rule the state”, and expressed confidence that Siddaramaiah would facilitate that. In the recent past, a visit by either Siddaramaiah or Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to Delhi was preceded by rumours signalling either an end to the leadership tussle or the imminent replacement of Siddaramaiah by Shivakumar. Days before Shivakumar’s visit to Delhi on Tuesday, his loyalists Shivakumar had expressed confidence that he would be appointed CM in the current term of the Congress Government. Among them is Congress MLA Iqbal Hussain, who said Monday that “80-90 MLAs” had petitioned the Congress high command to give Shivakumar an opportunity to head the state government. Hussain also countered MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah’s repeated assertion that his father would remain the CM for the full term. Shivakumar dismissed any “confusion” over a possible leadership change in the state. “I know what Siddaramaiah and I discussed. We did not do that in secret. Our party leaders and we discussed,” he said, referring to a meeting where a purported power-sharing agreement between the two had occurred. “It will not benefit anyone if others issue statements (about the power tussle). Issuing statements in my favour, against me… may it be by ministers or MLAs, all such statements damage the party… AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge has said that it is good if everyone shuts their mouths. We should follow that,” he told reporters. A day before Anjaneya pitched Jarkiholi to be the next CM, the minister had acknowledged the power tussle. “There is a battle going on. Let’s see what happens. We are awaiting a decision,” he said, noting that everyone in the party was seeking clarity from high command about the issue. Responding to claims that Shivakumar commands the support of more MLAs than Siddaramaiah in the Congress Legislature Party, Jarkiholi said there was no question about who had more MLAs. “Whoever is efficient will be selected. The situation has not arisen,” Jarkiholi said. On his chief ministerial aspirations, he said, “Let’s see when the time comes.”