No Power Change in Karnataka: Siddaramaiah to Stay CM as Congress Locks Focus on Rajya Sabha

The Congress top leadership on Tuesday firmly shut down rumors of a fresh power struggle between Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar over the state’s top post.

Following a string of high-level meetings in Delhi, Congress General Secretary (Organization) KC Venugopal stated that the talks centered exclusively on the upcoming Rajya Sabha and Karnataka Legislative Council elections.

“Today, we had a detailed meeting with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and LoP Rahul Gandhi. CM Siddaramaiah, deputy CM DK Shivakumar, the Karnataka in-charge general secretary and I were part of the discussion. The entire discussion was concentrated only on the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and Council elections in Karnataka,” Venugopal told reporters. 

He further clarified, “Whatever speculation you people are doing is only speculation; there is no reality at all. Candidates for the Rajya Sabha and Council elections in Karnataka will be announced along with candidates from other states. This is what we decided today and nothing else.”

Delhi Meetings Trigger Intense Speculation

Earlier on Tuesday, both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar arrived at Indira Bhavan to meet with Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Venugopal. The huddle took place amid intensifying rumors regarding a potential power-sharing arrangement in the southern state.

Before heading to the meeting from Karnataka Bhavan, Siddaramaiah chose not to answer questions asking if he would complete his full five-year term as chief minister. Shivakumar arrived at the venue separately for the deliberations with the central leadership.

The strategy sessions unfolded against a backdrop of long-standing friction between the loyalists of Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, nearly three years after the Congress party successfully recaptured power in Karnataka. Before departing Bengaluru for the national capital, Siddaramaiah had maintained that he was in the dark about the exact nature of the talks.

“I have been invited to Delhi. There is a meeting tomorrow (May 26). I do not know the subject of the meeting. They have called the meeting for 11 am. AICC general secretary and MP K C Venugopal called me, informed me about the meeting and invited me to attend,” Siddaramaiah had stated.

Persistent Tensions and Opposition Attacks

Managing the fragile peace between the two heavyweights has been an ongoing challenge for the Congress high command since the state government was established in 2023. While Shivakumar's supporters have frequently asserted that a rotational chief ministership deal was struck during the initial government formation, the central leadership has never officially acknowledged any such agreement.

Seizing on the internal friction, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has targeted the ruling dispensation over the lingering ambiguity surrounding Karnataka’s leadership. The BJP alleges that the ongoing internal rivalry has severely crippled state governance and laid bare deep fractures within the Congress party.