Bengaluru, 8 Sept

As Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's petition challenging the Governor's sanction for his prosecution in a site allotment case is being heard in the High Court, some Congress leaders seem to have chosen to weigh in for the top post in the event of leadership change.

All Congress leaders and Ministers are, however, maintaining that Siddaramaiah will continue in the post.

A verbal duel of sorts has erupted between two senior Ministers -- M B Patil and Shivanand Patil -- about seniority as the yardstick to become the Chief Minister.

"There are people senior to me, but seniority is not the only yardstick. There is no question of change in Chief Minister now, Siddaramaiah is there as the Chief Minister, he will be there, and will continue in the future too, so the talk about changing CM is irrelevant," MB Patil said.

"One day or the other I will become the Chief Minister, I have desire, but don't have greed. As per Shivanana Patil's logic, if seniority has to be considered -- he has said I will have to wait, let's agree to it. But, he has recently come to the party from Janata Dal, BJP, he is not in the line. From Vijayapura district, if someone has to become CM, it is me, no one else," he added, while rejecting Shivananad Patil's statement as "personal opinion".

Earlier, noting that he has no desire to become CM, Shivanand, when asked if he supported MB Patil, said that there were many people who were senior to him in the party.

While, Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President DK Shivakumar is seen as a prime contender for the post in case of any change in leadership, names of senior Ministers like Home Minister G Parameshwara and PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi too are doing rounds, especially following their recent meeting with party leadership in New Delhi.

With MB Patil stating that Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge, Siddaramaiah and RV Deshpande are seniors to him, and reiterating that Siddaramaiah will continue as CM, Jarkiholi said that he never claimed to be a senior or junior.

He said he will wait till 2028, and the talk of CM change is irrelevant now, as Siddaramaiah will continue.

Senior Congress MLA and Administrative Reforms Commission Chairperson RV Deshpande too had recently expressed his wish to become the Chief Minister.

Responding to Deshpande's comments, Siddaramaiah had last week said: "Who makes the CM? It is the legislators and the high command, they will decide...."

Senior BJP leader and MP Jagadish Shettar, taking a dig at the Congress, said that "inside fight" has broken out within the party to become the CM and it is likely to intensify in the days to come, even though "everyone in the ruling party are telling to the outside world" that they are all united behind Siddaramaiah.

" Deshpande started it, then MB Patil, Parsmwahwara, Satish Jarkiholi, the queue is big, and Shivakumar thinks that he is the legitimate claimant and is making all efforts internally. The Congress government will face trouble because of its infighting," he said. -PTI