Congress Leaders Discuss Karnataka Leadership Issues Amidst Ongoing Tensions

Congress Meeting at Sonia Gandhi's Residence

On Saturday, top leaders of the Congress party convened at Sonia Gandhi's residence to deliberate on the ongoing power struggle and leadership concerns in Karnataka. However, the meeting concluded without any definitive outcomes, prompting speculation about a subsequent round of discussions.

Sonia Gandhi participated in the talks at her 10 Janpath home, aiming to alleviate tensions between Karnataka's Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

The meeting included Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, and AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal.

After the discussions, Venugopal informed reporters, "We had a general discussion about the current political situation. We also talked about Karnataka, but another discussion will take place regarding the state." He added, "While we discussed Karnataka today, no conclusions were reached. We will revisit this topic... The Congress is united. There is also unity within the Karnataka Congress."

Venugopal mentioned that preparations for a rally against 'vote theft' scheduled for December 14 were also on the agenda, along with the overall political climate. Earlier in the day, Shivakumar had traveled from Vidhana Soudha to the airport with Kharge, paying tribute to B.R. Ambedkar on his 69th death anniversary, which sparked speculation about potential discussions between the two leaders regarding leadership.

Following the completion of half of the term for the Congress-led government in Karnataka on November 20, rumors about a change in leadership intensified amid the internal power struggle within the ruling party.