Lagatar24 Desk
Bengaluru: The simmering leadership battle within Karnataka’s ruling Congress came to an abrupt halt on Tuesday after Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar publicly signalled a climbdown, urging his supporters to cease their campaign to make him the Chief Minister. This move came shortly after the party’s central leadership firmly ruled out any possibility of replacing the incumbent Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah.
High Command Draws the Line
In a clear message to quell the internal discord, Congress’s Karnataka in-charge, Randeep Surjewala, was dispatched to Bengaluru to mediate. Flanked by a silent DK Shivakumar, Surjewala announced that there was “no plan for leadership change.” Following this definitive statement from the high command, Shivakumar adopted a conciliatory tone, instructing his backers to focus on the 2028 elections instead of lobbying for him. “I don’t want MLAs to speak for me anymore. The ‘high command’ will take action if they do,” Shivakumar stated, adding that he would be issuing a notice to his staunch loyalist, MLA Iqbal Hussain, to stop making public statements on the matter.
The Power-Sharing Dispute
The truce follows weeks of escalating tensions rooted in an alleged power-sharing agreement from May 2023. After the Congress’s decisive election victory, Shivakumar, who is widely credited with reviving the party’s fortunes, was a strong contender for the top post. However, the party chose veteran leader Siddaramaiah. It was widely believed that a deal was struck for Siddaramaiah to step down for Shivakumar after two and a half years, a deadline that approaches this September. In recent weeks, MLAs loyal to Shivakumar had been openly demanding this transition, while the Siddaramaiah camp denied any such agreement and pointed to Shivakumar holding two senior posts in violation of the party’s ‘one man, one post’ rule. Despite the new-found public unity, some loyalists like Iqbal Hussain appeared to hold their ground, indicating the underlying tensions may not be fully resolved.
