Congress MLA from Mandya Ravikumar Gowda claimed on Friday that deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar will become chief minister of Karnataka after two and a half years of the Siddaramaiah-led government’s tenure, stirring a political controversy.

“There is no doubt that he (Shivakumar) will assume the role of chief minister after two and a half years. There is no ambiguity about this. He has made significant contributions to the party, and the opposition is propagating false narratives in the media,” Gowda, who is commonly known as Ravi Ganiga, told reporters.

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When asked if there was a formal agreement regarding a transition of power, Gowda responded, “I am not privy to any such agreement, and I am not aware of discussions at the high command level. Nevertheless, he will become chief minister, given his service as the state president.”

Asked if Siddaramaiah would resign to pave the way for Shivakumar’s elevation as chief minister, Gowda said, “Why discuss such matters now? They are not relevant at this moment. The government is functioning efficiently, and our focus is on the welfare of the people. Decisions will be made when the time is right.”

The controversy comes as the state and central leaderships of the party remain tight-lipped about the alleged “power-sharing agreement” between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. While Siddaramaiah has not issued any statement on the “power sharing or rotational CM agreement”, Shivakumar in statements to the media has said he had agreed to the party’s “proposed formula.”

A fierce competition had emerged between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the chief minister’s post following the assembly election results earlier this year. Eventually, the Congress persuaded Shivakumar to assume the role of deputy chief minister.

Responding to the statement from the MLA, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Shivakumar said that MLAs should not talk about internal party matters in public. “All 136 MLAs are one and no one should talk about any of the party’s internal decision-making processes. The chief minister and I will talk about party matters,” he said.

The chief minister could not be reached out for his response.

In May, a similar controversy had erupted after cabinet minister MB Patil told the media that Siddaramaiah would continue as the chief minister of the state for the next five years.

Meanwhile, Rav claimed that the BJP team which was engaged in bringing down the Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka in 2019 is again at work in Karnataka to poach MLAs of the ruling party. “We have audio and video recordings of conversations to lure our MLAs and the recordings will be made public very soon,” he added.

According to Ravi, the BJP team has contacted four of the Congress MLAs and offered them cash of ₹50 crore each and a ministerial berth if they switch loyalties. The BJP team working to lure Congress MLAs has assured to book a special flight to New Delhi to ferry them to meet union home minister Amit Shah, he said.

“The chief minister and deputy chief minister have been informed about these developments. We will reveal the details as soon as possible. Several legislators have honestly shared this information with the party leadership,” Gowda said, adding that some former legislators have also been contacted.

The BJP is yet to release an official reaction to the statement.