Basavaraj Shivaganga, MLA and known to be close to Shivakumar, said it was time the Deputy Chief Minister was elevated, setting a deadline of December, by when the Congress government would have completed half its term.
According to Shivakumar, 60 of the defeated candidates could win the polls next time as per an internal survey.
Fifteen Congress leaders wrote to the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday seeking gag orders on the Karnataka Congress leaders indulging in issuing statements on the change of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Speculation is rife in political circles that YSRTP is keen on an alliance or a merger with the Congress ahead of Assembly elections in Telangana.
Kharge is also expected to hold a meeting with Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar who are frontrunners for the chief minister's post.
The early trends for Karnataka assembly election results showed Congress crossing the halfway mark, and Siddaramaiah leading from the Varuna constituency.
Karnataka Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar said on Tuesday that with former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and ex-Deputy CM Lakshman Savadi joining, the party would win 150 seats in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Experts say that Kharge had come very close to becoming the CM in Karnataka thrice in 1999, 2004 and 2013, but narrowly missed the opportunity
Senior Congress leader and Former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah appear all charged-up with the mobilised political atmosphere in the state after Rahul Gandhi attended his birthday bash on October 3.
"There are no charges proved against her in the preliminary inquiry. Why is she now being investigated?" Shivakumar said.
