Siddaramaiah vs DKS: Leadership tussle intensifies in Karnataka over power-sharing pact

BENGALURU: The long-simmering leadership rift within the Karnataka Congress has escalated into a full-blown crisis, as Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah lock horns over a contested power-sharing agreement. While friction over the top post has gripped the state unit for months, the political standoff has now reached a critical tipping point. In a counter-strategy, the Siddaramaiah camp is aggressively pushing for a major cabinet reshuffle, while the Shivakumar faction demands immediate implementation of a prior high command directive to transition the chief ministership.

The roots of the current impasse trace back to the Congress party's thumping electoral victory in 2023. Despite Shivakumar steering the party’s campaign to victory as the state unit chief, Siddaramaiah leveraged the backing of a majority of legislators to secure the top job. Shivakumar eventually settled for the Deputy CM profile, reportedly on the explicit condition of a rotational dynamic that would see him take the helm after two and a half years.

With the government crossing its mid-term milestone by late 2025, the Shivakumar camp has significantly dialled up the pressure. A steady stream of ministers and MLAs loyal to the Deputy CM made repeated consensus-building trips to New Delhi to brief the party high command. Though the leadership transition talks were temporarily shelved due to high-stakes assembly elections across five states, including Kerala, the agitation has resurfaced with renewed vigour following the declaration of election results and the formation of new governments.

Seeking to strengthen their leverage, Shivakumar’s loyalists are citing the high command’s recent intervention in neighbouring Kerala. They note that the leadership bypassed the traditional legislative majority to appoint V.D. Satheesan as Chief Minister in alignment with public sentiment. With the Shivakumar camp leveraging the "Kerala model" as a precedent for high command authority, top Congress leadership faces a formidable challenge in restoring stability to its crucial southern bastion.