English
English
English
Will DK Shivakumar get Karnataka CM crown
New Delhi: As the Karnataka Congress crisis deepens, talk is rife of a possible Karnataka CM Change that could see Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar finally taking over the Chief Minister’s post from Siddaramaiah.
The Siddaramaiah vs DK Shivakumar power tussle has become the defining political battle in the Karnataka Congress and has captured the direct attention of the party's central leadership in New Delhi.
What began as a fragile power-sharing formula after the Congress' emphatic victory in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, has slowly spiralled into a protracted Congress Power Struggle between the two tallest state leaders of the party.
As speculation over a possible Leadership Change in Karnataka grows by the day, the Congress high command is now busy in containing the crisis before it impacts governance.
With speculation gaining steam over a leadership change in Karnataka, the Congress high command is now actively trying to contain the crisis before it hits governance and the party’s electoral prospects.
Timeline Of Conflict May 2023 Here Is
The Karnataka Congress Crisis can be traced back to May 2023, when the Congress stormed to power with 135 Assembly seats. But the victory immediately set off a fierce contest between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar for the Chief Minister’s post.
Senior Congress leaders were engaged in marathon discussions in Delhi for nearly five days as both camps aggressively lobbied the high command.
Finally the party leadership arrived at a compromise where Siddaramaiah was made Chief Minister and Shivakumar appointed as lone Deputy Chief Minister with key portfolios. There was talk of an informal “2.5 year rotational CM formula” in political circles at the same time, but the Congress never officially acknowledged such a pact.
July 25th 2025
By July 2025, visible cracks began to appear in the uneasy truce as factional tensions spilt out into the open at Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi. Officials and aides close to both leaders reportedly got into a heated verbal spat and physical confrontation, highlighting the deepening mistrust between the two camps and embarrassing the party leadership.
November 2025.
The Karnataka Leadership Row returned with greater aggression in November 2025 when the Congress government completed 30 months in office, the halfway mark of its tenure. What followed was an open demand for implementation of the alleged rotational arrangement by the supporters of DK Shivakumar CM Buzz with several loyalist MLAs travelling to Delhi to push for a leadership transition.
Siddaramaiah, however, made it clear that he wanted to complete the full five-year term as chief minister and even hinted at presenting the next state budget himself. Shivakumar, while not wanting to face off in public, said repeatedly that the final decision was for the Congress high command.
Feb 2026
The political temperature soared higher in February 2026 when Shivakumar indicated his organisational clout in the Karnataka Congress. The Deputy CM told the party leadership that he continues to have the support of a large section of Congress MLAs and alliance supporters and thus reinforced his claim as a natural contender for the top post, sources said.
May 2026
Now, in May 2026, the internal fight is at its most decisive phase. The Congress high command has called both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to Delhi for high-level consultations with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi.
While party general secretary KC Venugopal publicly said that the discussions are related to the upcoming Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council elections, senior party sources say the real agenda is the possible Karnataka CM Change.
Insiders say that the Congress leadership has thought of elevating Siddaramaiah to national politics through the Rajya Sabha and that could pave the way for DK Shivakumar to become Chief Minister. Amid the intense speculation, Siddaramaiah has been said to have been holding a series of closed-door meetings with trusted ministers and loyalists to get a sense of his political options.
Both the leaders are big players in the Karnataka Congress and the outcome of the ongoing talks is likely to determine the future leadership of the state government and also the internal power structure in the party ahead of the 2028 Karnataka Assembly elections.
