• Source:JND
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Taking a dig at the ongoing power struggle within the Karnataka Congress over the Chief Minister’s position, the BJP has released an AI-generated video portraying four senior Congress leaders playing a game of musical chairs for the top post.

The video features caricatures of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Home Minister G Parameshwara, and Public Works Department Minister Satish Jarkiholi.

In the clip, the four leaders are seen circling the Chief Minister’s chair, each trying to secure it before the others. The Karnataka BJP unit captioned the post, "Countdown to the November Revolution!" aligning with the party’s prediction of an impending leadership change in the state government.

For months, speculation about a leadership reshuffle has been circulating in Karnataka’s political circles. The discussion dates back to the 2023 Assembly election that brought the Congress to power. At that time, DK Shivakumar was considered a strong contender for the Chief Minister’s post, credited for his role in the party’s victory.

However, the Congress high command chose Siddaramaiah for the top job and persuaded Shivakumar to take on the roles of Deputy Chief Minister and state party president. Some reports suggested a rotational chief ministership agreement had been reached, though this was never officially confirmed.

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After the government completed two and a half years in office, Shivakumar’s supporters began renewing calls for a change in leadership. Adding fuel to the speculation, Siddaramaiah’s son and MLC Yathindra recently commented that his father is in the "final phase of his political career".

He said, "At this stage, he needs a leader with a strong ideology and a progressive mindset whom he can be a 'margdarshak' (mentor) to. Jarkiholi is someone who can uphold the Congress party's ideology and lead the party effectively. I firmly believe that finding a leader with such ideological conviction is rare, and I wish he continues this good work," further stating that Jarkiholi "definitely has the capability to fill Siddaramaiah's shoes."

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Yathindra’s comments were widely viewed as a message from Siddaramaiah’s camp to Shivakumar suggesting that even if Siddaramaiah steps down, influence over the leadership would remain with his faction.

Siddaramaiah has since dismissed any speculation of a leadership change. When asked by reporters about it, he said, "Don't you have anything else to ask? Let people talk about whatever they want, but who in the high command -- Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi or Mallikarjun Kharge -- has spoken about this? Why are you always talking about this? You in the media are talking about it more than the people. Apart from the high command, others talking about this is insignificant," he said.

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