Siddaramaiah or Shivakumar? Congress high command to settle Karnataka CM issue this week

Siddaramaiah’s camp wants the status quo until March with a Cabinet reshuffle, while Shivakumar’s supporters are demanding the 2023 power-sharing deal be honoured.

The Congress high command is reportedly preparing to take a final call on the escalating leadership tussle in Karnataka before the Winter Session of Parliament opens on December 1.

As per senior party insiders cited in an NDTV report, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is likely to hold discussions with Rahul Gandhi either on Wednesday or Thursday as the party moves to end the speculation over a possible change at the top in its lone southern stronghold.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar are likely to be called to Delhi on November 28 or 29 for consultations.

The intervention comes amid growing strain between the two factions.

Siddaramaiah’s camp is pushing to maintain the current arrangement at least until March and is seeking a Cabinet reshuffle. Shivakumar’s supporters, however, want the party to honour what they claim was an informal power-sharing understanding reached during the government’s formation in 2023.

Kharge has taken note of increasingly public statements from both sides, with Rahul Gandhi expected to take the final call, it has been learnt from the NDTV report.

A leader close to Siddaramaiah told the channel that the Chief Minister is “confident” of Rahul Gandhi’s backing and believes he enjoys support from a majority of Congress MLAs. In contrast, Shivakumar loyalists, including Ramnagara MLA Iqbal Hussain, have publicly asserted that the Deputy Chief Minister will take over, adding to the central leadership’s unease.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Siddaramaiah reiterated that he would abide by whatever the high command decides. “To put a full stop to this confusion, the high command has to take the decision,” he said, adding that legislators were free to convey their views directly in Delhi. He also said the Cabinet reshuffle, two berths are currently vacant, would be carried out only after directions from the party leadership.

Shivakumar, who did not meet Kharge during the Congress president’s recent visit to Bengaluru, accompanied him to the airport on Tuesday as he left for Delhi.

Kharge, asked about the speculation on Sunday, declined comment. “Whatever happens, the high command will do it. There is nothing more to say,” he told reporters.

While Siddaramaiah is pressing for an immediate reshuffle, Shivakumar wants the leadership question resolved first. The Chief Minister has repeatedly dismissed talk of a change at the top, calling it an “unnecessary debate” arising from discussions around the reshuffle.