The simmering leadership tussle within the Karnataka Congress reached Delhi on Tuesday as chief minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar arrived in the national capital for crucial meetings with the Congress high command amid continued speculation over a possible leadership reshuffle in the state.
Both leaders met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary KC Venugopal at Indira Bhavan as the party attempted to contain growing speculation surrounding the power-sharing arrangement in Karnataka.
Siddaramaiah, while leaving Karnataka Bhavan for Indira Bhavan on Tuesday morning, did not respond to questions from reporters on whether he would complete his full term as chief minister amid leadership change rumours. Shortly afterwards, Shivakumar also arrived at Indira Bhavan for the meeting with the Congress leadership.
Venugopal was also seen leaving his residence for Indira Bhavan ahead of the meeting.
The high-level discussions came amid persistent tensions between the Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar camps nearly three years after the Congress returned to power in Karnataka. Sources indicated that apart from the leadership issue, the Congress leadership was also likely to deliberate on cabinet expansion, induction of new ministers, Rajya Sabha elections, MLC polls and broader political developments in the state.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru before leaving for Delhi, Siddaramaiah said he was unaware of the agenda of the meeting.
“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 a.m. AICC General Secretary and MP K.C. Venugopal called me, informed me about the meeting, and invited me to attend,” Siddaramaiah said.
When asked about speculation surrounding a possible leadership change in Karnataka, he said, “Speculations are always there.”
Congress leaders continued attempting to downplay the political significance of the Delhi meeting, insisting it was linked to organisational matters and upcoming elections.
Congress leader Ramesh Babu told ANI that the visit was related to consultations over Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council elections.
“It is routine work. Since the Rajya Sabha election has been notified, we have to select the 3 candidates from the party in the state. In a couple of days, the MLC election is also going to be conducted in the state, and 7 members have to be elected from the Assembly. We have to conduct an Assembly session in Karnataka. This is why CM and the Dy CM are going to meet our party leaders in Delhi. They need to discuss some issues with the AICC,” Ramesh Babu said.
Karnataka Congress in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala also rejected speculation over a possible leadership change.
“Rajya Sabha elections have been notified. The party continues to have consultations. So please do not speculate. I quash all other speculations,” Surjewala said.
Ahead of the meeting, Shivakumar reiterated confidence about the Congress returning to power in Karnataka in the 2028 Assembly elections.
“You will see, Shivakumar and the Congress government coming back to power,” he said.
Recalling the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, Shivakumar said he had predicted Congress’ victory despite the BJP’s confidence at the time.
“At a time when Union Home Minister Amit Shah was talking about the BJP's victory, I challenged that Congress would win 136 seats and we came to power,” he stated.
The Congress leadership had already intervened multiple times to manage tensions between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar since the formation of the government in 2023. Supporters of Shivakumar had repeatedly claimed that a rotational chief ministership formula existed at the time of government formation, though the party high command never publicly confirmed such an arrangement.
Meanwhile, the opposition BJP continued targeting the Congress over the prolonged uncertainty surrounding Karnataka’s leadership, claiming the infighting was hurting governance and exposing divisions within the ruling party.
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