Shivakumar will also host a separate dinner for Congress candidates who lost the 2023 assembly elections, and for presidents of the district and block Congress committees.
Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Shivakumar declined to disclose details of his meetings with leaders of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC).
Sections within the Congress view Tuesday’s dinner as subtle messaging to the party leadership on the level of support Shivakumar commands among legislators. Political observers will watch how many MLAs attend the event, particularly whether those considered loyal to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah or those seen as neutral will participate. Shivakumar, however, has projected the event as the one with no political agenda.
The dinner celebration comes amid renewed chatter on the leadership issue in the state. Siddaramaiah, a day after presenting his 17th record budget on Friday, said in Mysuru on Saturday that he hoped to present two more budgets. He added that people across the state wanted him to continue as chief minister, while noting that the final decision rested with the party high command.
Earlier this year, Siddaramaiah surpassed Devaraj Urs to become the longest-serving chief minister of Karnataka. The 78-year-old Mysuru-born leader is currently serving his second term, having earlier completed a full five-year tenure beginning in 2013.
Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have largely refrained from publicly commenting on the leadership question since their breakfast meeting in November, where they pledged to work together. However, leaders from their respective camps have continued to make public statements on the subject.Shivakumar had earlier dropped broad hints about his claim to the chief minister’s post as Siddaramaiah approached the halfway mark of his term in November. Ahead of Siddaramaiah’s swearing-in in May 2023, the deputy chief minister had also referred to a “secret” arrangement that, he said, was known only to five or six senior leaders.
