‘No confusion in party administration’: Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad amid leadership buzz

BENGALURU: Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad on Friday affirmed that there is no confusion within the party administration, underlining that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar have repeatedly said that the decision of the high command regarding the possible change in Karnataka Chief Minister will be followed.

Arshad said, “Mallikarjun Kharge is the Congress president and his words are final. The CM and Deputy CM have repeatedly said that we will follow whatever the high command says. So, there is no confusion in the party administration. Whatever the party leadership says will be followed”.

Earlier in the day, Mallikarjun Kharge said, “They said there’s a talk of change every day. Let me clarify, the decision will be made by all three of us together: myself as AICC President, Sonia Gandhi as CPP Chairperson, and Rahul Gandhi as Leader of the Opposition.”

He emphasised that the Congress high command follows a structured consultative process involving senior leadership before arriving at any conclusion on key organisational and political matters.

“I always emphasise our collective decision-making process, yet you often spin it as if Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi aren’t involved. That’s not the case. Within the High Command, we hold extensive discussions and consult with other senior leaders, carefully weighing the potential outcomes before taking any action. Once we’ve set a date, we will reach a final decision together. As of now, no date has been finalised, so it’s premature to speculate on any changes,” he added.

Kharge further stated that once a decision is taken, it will be in the best interest of Karnataka and urged everyone to respect the final call of the party leadership.

The Congress government in Karnataka has been witnessing internal differences over leadership-sharing arrangements, particularly between supporters of CM Siddaramaiah and Dy CM DK Shivakumar. Sections within the party have been demanding that Shivakumar be made Chief Minister for the remaining term, citing an alleged 2023 “power-sharing agreement”. (ANI)