Mysuru, 24 Dec

State Housing Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan on Wednesday reaffirmed that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will serve his full five-year term until 2028, and will not step down unless directed by the Congress high command. “The CM’s post is not vacant. Only high command leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge have the authority to replace him. A change of guard in the State has not arisen,” he said, addressing speculation about leadership changes amid ongoing power-sharing debates with Deputy CM DK Shivakumar. Khan added that Shivakumar’s recent New Delhi visit was related to departmental work, not to meet party leadership.

Home Minister G Parameshwara also emphasized that the high command’s decision is final. Responding to Kharge’s clarification amid speculation, he said, “Whatever the leadership decides, including Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, is final. Kharge’s remarks aimed to prevent confusion, and the uncertainty exists only at the local level, not within the high command.”

The controversy follows Congress MLA KN Rajanna’s letter to Rahul Gandhi praising Siddaramaiah’s leadership and highlighting organizational lapses in booth-level agent appointments, reflecting internal party tensions. The high command’s authority remains the ultimate arbiter of leadership matters in the State.