Congress chief Kharge says decision on Karnataka CM change lies with party high command

Amid Congress leaders in Karnataka openly discussing a possible change of Chief Minister in the state, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday (June 30, 2025) said it is up to the party high command to decide on such matters and that one should not create any unnecessary problems.

Mr. Kharge was responding to media queries about some Congress leaders in the state claiming a change in the post of Chief Minister in October.

“See, that is in the hands of the high command. Nobody can say here what is going on in the high command. This is left to the high command, and the high command has got the power to take further action. But unnecessarily, one should not create a problem,” he told reporters in Bengaluru.

In 2023, when the Congress assumed power in the southern state, there were speculations that Siddaramaiah and D.K. Shivakumar would helm the state for 2.5 years each, as per a rotational formula, a claim the party has neither confirmed nor rejected so far. Currently, Mr. Siddaramaiah is the Chief Minister and Mr. Shivakumar is his deputy.

Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, who is in Bengaluru, met with party legislators, amid signs of disgruntlement and speculation about leadership change within the ruling party.

Reacting to his visit, Mr. Kharge said, “Surjewala has come. Based on his report and what feedback he gathers, we will decide what steps to take.”

Calling Mr. Kharge an “accidental” AICC president, Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, R. Ashoka, asked, “If Kharge is not the party high command, then who is?”

In a post on ‘X’, Mr. Ashoka said, “Looks like Congress has gifted us another ‘accidental’ leader. First, it was Dr. Manmohan Singh, the PM who had the chair but not the command, who had the responsibility but no power. Now it’s Mallikarjun Kharge, the Accidental AICC President, who proudly admits he doesn’t know what the ‘high command’ is thinking,” he said in a post on ‘X’.

“Dear Kharge Ji, if you are not the high command, then who is? Rahul Gandhi? Sonia Gandhi? Priyanka Gandhi or is it an invisible committee of one surname? In @INCIndia, the President is just there for appearances, while decisions are taken behind closed doors at 10 Janpath,” Mr. Ashoka alleged.

He claimed that Mr. Kharge isn’t leading the Congress; he’s leading a “masterclass in con-graceful surrender”.

“Same script, new actor. Still directed by the Gandhi family,” he added. There was no immediate response to Mr. Ashoka from the Congress side.