The Congress on Tuesday said that there will be no change in leadership in Karnataka.

This came amid speculation that Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar could replace Siddaramaiah as the chief minister.

On Thursday, state minister KN Rajanna claimed that a “major political development” in the state was anticipated after September.

On Tuesday, Randeep Singh Surjewala, who is in charge of the party’s Karnataka unit, told reporters that some of them had asked whether the one-on-one discussions he had begun with party MPs and MLAs in the state a day earlier was an exercise for a change in leadership.

“The answer remains no,” he said.

The Congress leader added that he was meeting the legislators to understand what work they had done in their constituencies. “It is important to review their performance,” he said.

He had rejected speculation about a possible leadership change on Monday too, claiming that such talks were “only a figment of your imagination”, The Indian Express reported.

On Tuesday, Shivakumar also reiterated that there would be no change of leadership in the state, ANI reported.

“I don’t want anyone’s support,” the news agency quoted him as saying. “My priority is for them [party legislators] to win back the Assembly elections.”

The deputy chief minister added that there were no groups within the Congress and everyone was united.

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