What’s happening in Karnataka? Will Siddaramaiah stay, or will DK Shivakumar finally get his long-held wish of becoming chief minister? While Shivakumar and his brother DK Suresh have been seen meeting
top Congress leaders and also seeking appointments with the Congress high command, they have made it clear that any decision will be taken by the high command and there is no space for any leader to lobby for anything related to Karnataka’s tussle for power.
The power question has returned to the centre of Karnataka politics, even as the Congress deals with a setback in Bihar and an increasingly restless state unit waiting for clarity from the high command.
Siddaramaiah is currently in Delhi to discuss the cabinet reshuffle, issues related to the sugarcane farmers and floods in Karnataka. He will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the issue.
On the issue of cabinet reshuffle, it is learnt that while Siddaramaiah is seeking a full rejig, Shivakumar says key ministerial posts need to be kept with performing ministers. He is also of the view that the decision to drop certain ministers should be taken based on their reviews by the KPCC chief as well as Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala in the series of meetings he had held between late-June and beginning of July. A source from KPCC told News18 that while the meetings were held to gauge the extent of the rebellion within the party and how many MLAs are in favour of Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, there was also an assessment made of the performance of various ministers.
The Congress’ massive drubbing in the Bihar assembly elections appears to have unintentionally cleared the haze around the leadership issue in Karnataka. Far from weakening him, the results seem to have given chief minister Siddaramaiah a fresh sense of confidence that he will continue for the full term. Yet, there is a persistent buzz that attempts have indeed been made to reopen the power-sharing debate inside the party.
The speculation about a cabinet reshuffle has reached a feverish pitch of late as many leaders supporting Shivakumar and seeking his appointment as chief minister had been speaking of a November revolution.
Several senior Congress leaders that News18 spoke to insist that although a rejig is certainly coming, a change of leadership is unlikely right now, which means Shivakumar may have to wait longer for the top post.
“There is a need for a cabinet reshuffle. That will be decided by the high command. There will also be a series of discussions during the upcoming winter session. It is important to keep a stable government, but we have been told that it is the high command who will take the final decision,” said a senior Congress leader from Karnataka.
Yet another leader says that the four ministerial posts that have become vacant due to the resignations of B Nagendra and KN Rajanna have to be filled, but there is also talk of the change in chairman and deputy chairman of the Vidhan Parishad being discussed.
The coordination—or lack of it—between the two leaders has raised eyebrows. Karnataka’s political landscape is once again in flux, with both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar holding separate engagements in Delhi as the Congress high command weighs a long-pending cabinet expansion ahead of the December 8 assembly session.
Siddaramaiah himself brushed aside talk of gaining strength after the Bihar outcome. “What’s the connection between Bihar results and Karnataka’s political scene?” he shot back. Even at the launch of Shivakumar’s book Neerina Hejje, Siddaramaiah said, “We will be in power for the remaining two-and-a-half years. I am confident we will return in 2028.”
Whispers within the party claim that a power-sharing understanding—in which Siddaramaiah hands over the post to Shivakumar at the two-and-a-half-year mark on November 20—was indeed discussed at the high command level, though only a handful of leaders were in the loop.
Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara said on Sunday that a cabinet reshuffle is imminent, but ruled out a leadership change. His remarks came even as Shivakumar’s supporters continue to push openly for him to be made chief minister. Parameshwara too had put his hat in the ring, saying he too would like to be chief minister.
Shivakumar, however, dismissed all talk of a reshuffle. “There is no discussion, no question, and no one is in a hurry. The party will decide what is best. We are only thinking about 2028,” he said.
While Siddaramaiah will meet PM Modi on Monday and is also expected to seek a meeting with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the final authority on cabinet changes, Shivakumar cancelled a scheduled trip from Delhi to Hyderabad and stayed back in the Capital, having requested time with Rahul Gandhi. His brother, Bengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh, also landed in Delhi, intensifying the buzz around internal manoeuvring.
Asked whether he knew about Siddaramaiah’s meeting with Rahul Gandhi, Shivakumar said, “I don’t know. If you want to ask about reshuffling or leadership change, speak to the CM. We follow what the party says.” He insisted Siddaramaiah’s meetings with senior leaders were “nothing unusual”.
Siddaramaiah, meanwhile, reiterated that his conversation with Rahul Gandhi was strictly about the Bihar election. “There was no talk about a cabinet reshuffle,” he said, adding that he would head back to Delhi on Monday if he got confirmation about the meeting with the prime minister.
Despite such public denials, party insiders confirm that the chief minister is pushing hard for a cabinet expansion before the winter session. Of the 34 sanctioned berths, 32 are filled—and the debate now is whether to induct new ministers or drop underperformers.
Congress sources say Siddaramaiah is likely to tell Kharge that 8-12 sitting ministers should be replaced to correct regional and caste imbalance and prepare the government for the elections. This has become a sore point for Shivakumar, who worries that such moves could weaken his faction. He is expected to convey these concerns directly to Rahul Gandhi.
Amid the churn, minister Satish Jarkiholi has publicly urged the party high command to end the confusion. “It would be better if the top leadership clarified the issue of leadership in Karnataka,” he said on Sunday, adding that the high command was closely watching the developments. On reports that he may be appointed KPCC president, Jarkiholi said, “The high command will decide. It is natural that such discussions take place in a state with over six crore people.” He added that cabinet expansion and leadership decisions lie solely with the high command.
