BENGALURU: Karnataka chief ministerSiddaramaiah Tuesday firmly dismissed speculation of a leadership change in the state and said he intends to serve the full five-year term.“Yes, I will continue as CM. Why do you have doubts?” Siddaramaiah told reporters, brushing aside speculations of internal dissent and leadership shifts within the ruling Congress.His remarks come amid growing buzz in political circles, particularly from opposition parties, suggesting possible turbulence within the Congress. Both AICC general secretary incharge of Karnataka and deputy CM D K Shivakumar Thursday had also dismissed leadership change talks while Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge had said the party high command will decide, drawing criticims.

Siddaramaiah hit back at those claims, asking, “Are they the Congress high command?” while targeting BJP and JD(S) leaders for what he termed as baseless speculation of leadership change.“There is no confusion or rift. We are united,” he added, reiterating that the Congress govt in Karnataka remains stable and committed to its full term.Meanwhile, senior Congress MLA B R Patil, whose recent leaked phone conversation triggered a row, issued a clarification Tuesday, stating that his remarks were being misrepresented by sections of the media.“Electronic media and social media are twisting my statements and trying to tarnish my image,” Patil said.

Clarifying his earlier comments, he said: “Siddaramaiah’s name came up, and I said he was lucky to become CM. I didn’t say I introduced him to Sonia Gandhi—I only said I was with him when he met her. He is a mass leader. I’m not powerful enough to make him the CM.”Patil further alleged that some individuals were deliberately trying to damage his relationship with Siddaramaiah. “Some people are trying to break our relationship intentionally,” he said.The clarification follows backlash over Patil’s description of Siddaramaiah’s rise to the chief ministerial post as “hitting a lucky lottery”, which had prompted sharp responses from within the party.