KC Venugopal said the Congress high command meeting with Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar focused only on upcoming Rajya Sabha
May 26, 2026: The Congress on Tuesday dismissed speculation surrounding a possible leadership change in Karnataka, clarifying that discussions during the party’s high-level meeting were limited to upcoming Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council elections. The clarification came amid continued political chatter over the future of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.
Speaking after the meeting, Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said there was “no reality at all” to rumours about a change in the chief minister’s post. He stated that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and senior party leaders participated in detailed discussions focused entirely on election preparations in Karnataka.
Venugopal added that the names of candidates for Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council seats from Karnataka would be announced along with candidates from other states. He reiterated that no discussions were held regarding leadership changes and described the ongoing reports as mere speculation without any factual basis.