Karnataka | No power-sharing pact or formula, no one should talk about it: Shivakumar

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday (December 7) said that no one in the party should talk about any power-sharing "agreement or formula" involving him and CM Siddaramaiah, as he clarified that there was no such a thing. He, however, said that they were working with some "political understanding".

This statement from Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief, came days after Siddaramaiah rejected his claim that they have a power-sharing pact.

“No one should talk about any agreement. There is no power-sharing formula or anything. We are both working with some political understanding. I have never spoken about any formula, there is nothing. What I told the national channel is we have come to some understanding.”

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“The CM has been entrusted with some responsibility and I'm entrusted with some. I'm functioning accordingly,” Shivakumar said.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said, “There is no need or there is no situation for anyone to speak about any formula. I have already said that whatever CM has said is final, and it (matter) is now closed or finished.” Shivakumar had reportedly told a news channel recently that there was an agreement between them, before coming to power, to which Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said there was no such agreement, and that he would abide by the high command's decision.

Reacting to Siddaramaiah's comments, Shivakumar said whatever the chief minister says is final, there is no objection to it.

Rejecting the possibility of any power-sharing agreement involving CM and Deputy CM, before Congress formed a government, Home Minister G Parameshwara on Thursday said, ultimately, the high command will take a decision, and everyone will abide by it.

There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the chief minister's post after the declaration of Assembly election results in May last year, and the Congress had managed to convince the latter and made him the deputy chief minister.

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There were some reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational chief minister formula," according to which Shivakumar will become CM after two-and-half years, but they have not been officially confirmed by the party.

Shivakumar has made no secret of his ambition to become the chief minister.

(With agency inputs)