The closed-door meeting comes days after over 20 Karnataka Congress legislators travelled abroad, even as the party leadership continues to publicly deny any internal rift or power-sharing arrangement.
Around 30 Congress MLAs, including two ministers, from the camp of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar met at a private hotel in Bengaluru, triggering fresh political speculation within the ruling party.
Sources told India Today TV that the meeting, held under the pretext of celebrating an MLA’s birthday, saw discussions around the ongoing leadership churn within the Karnataka Congress. Legislators are understood to have informally deliberated on possible next steps and are closely watching the party high command in New Delhi for any signal.
The gathering assumed significance amid persistent buzz over a potential power tussle in the state unit, though the Congress leadership has repeatedly denied any internal rift.
Among those present were D Sudhakar, Magadi Balakrishna, CP Yogeshwar, Kadalur Uday, Ravi Ganiga, Basavaraj Shivaganga, Nayama Mottamma, Sharath Bachegowda, Kunigal Ranganath, Prakash Kolivada, Anekal Shivanna and Venkatesh Pavagada.
The closed-door meeting comes days after more than 20 Congress legislators from Karnataka travelled to Australia and New Zealand, a trip that also drew political attention amid leadership speculation.
The legislators, some of whom are considered close to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, are expected to return to Bengaluru on March 1. Participants described the visit as a study tour focused on agriculture, though at least one MLA said he was funding the travel personally.
Sindhanur MLA Hampanagouda Badarli had maintained the tour was purely personal and not politically driven.
Earlier, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge dismissed reports of any leadership confusion, asserting that the party high command had created no uncertainty and that any issues should be handled by the state leadership.
