New Delhi:
Senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is pushing for a leadership change in Karnataka, sources told NDTV Tuesday afternoon, after lengthy meetings between party leaders and the squabbling duo of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy, DK Shivakumar. Sources said the Congress is likely to change its chief minister to prevent another face-off between its top two leaders, which could be very damaging with an election due in 2028.
Earlier today Congress leaders – including party boss Mallikarjun Kharge, MP Rahul Gandhi, and General Secretary KC Venugopal – met Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, jointly and individually at the party’s head office in Delhi this morning. After the meetings Gandhi and Venugopal left to brief veteran leader Sonia Gandhi on the discussions.
There was speculation the meeting had been called to discuss an end to an increasingly embarrassing leadership dispute in the state. However, sources told NDTV talks focused on candidates for six vacant seats – three in the Rajya Sabha and three in the Legislative Council. Kharge – a Rajya Sabha MP from the state since 2020 – will likely retain one of those seats.
But squabbling in Karnataka has been a problem for the Congress, with Siddaramaiah and DKS, and their camps, sniping at each other over the top job since the 2023 election. The party has had to make two major interventions since – Randeep Singh Surjewala, who was present for this meeting, was sent down – but the dispute over an alleged power-sharing promise persists.
It seemed this week that the Congress is trying to avoid another flare-up before the 2028 election, when the BJP will be ready to pounce. But Siddaramaiah brushed off talk on what this might mean, telling reporters, “…speculation will always be there.”
There were indications this could be the defining meeting, one that puts an end to this saga.
NDTV was told earlier that “all issues” would be resolved after a meeting at the end of May. On this DKS, who has said he expects the party to eventually back him, offered a cryptic “good times will come” response. A decision on who will be chief minister for the rest of this term and, critically, lead the party into the next election, could be taken in the next 72 hours.
Why a change is needed
Becaue apart from his age – Siddaramaiah will be 80 in 2028 – the chief minister’s governance record is seen as poor, and with anti-incumbency growing the party reportedly wants to replace him sooner rather than later.
This is also why a proposed cabinet reshuffle has failed to materialise.
The problem for the Congress is that Siddaramaiah still has support among the Ahinda communities, which refers to a multi-group voter base of minorities, backward classes, and Dalits that has consistently backed the chief minister, allowing him to claim the title of a ‘mass leader’ and circumvent an otherwise bi-polar caste landscape, i.e., the Vokkaliga-Lingayat divide.
NDTV Explains | Hidden Caste Face-off In Siddaramaiah-DKS Karnataka Battle
And it means the Congress would rather not risk angering such a large voter base.
The ideal solution is for Siddaramaiah to stand down of his own volition, with a Rajya Sabha seat as compensation and a key cabinet berth for his son. If he refuses to do so, it will likely become a very complicated matter for the party.
Why DKS’ claim is strong
Shivakumar is simultaneously the deputy chief minister and chief of the Congress’ state unit, two high-profile posts that do not normally fall to the same person, at least under the ‘one man, one post’ credo Gandhi has urged.
But that DKS holds these is evidence of his value to the Congress.
Shivakumar belongs to the Vokkaliga caste – traditionally a stronghold of the Janata Dal Secular. Making him chief minister could steal valuable votes from that community. That would not only impact the JDS but, crucially, also the BJP, its ally.
On the flip side, DKS does face corruption charges and that will certainly be a line of attack for the opposition.
What happened last year?
The last big flare-up was in November 2025 when the Congress government completed two-and-a-half years in power. Hitting the halfway mark was the cue for DKS’ supporters to make public references to the ‘agreement’ the two party reportedly executed after the 2023 win.
The ‘agreement’ was that Siddaramaiah and DKS would ‘share’ power, i.e., each would be chief minister for two-and-a-half years. Neither leader, nor the party, has acknowledged such a ‘deal’.
Troubleshooter Surjewala was sent down to put out the fire, again, which he did, again, by urging the warring factions to focus on the Kerala and Tamil Nadu elections – which were then six months away. But now those polls are over – the Congress won Kerala and controversially aligned with actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam to share power in Tamil Nadu.
And it seems it is time for another round of ‘who will be Karnataka chief minister’.
RECAP | Siddaramaiah vs DKS Is Not New. A Look At What Happened In 2023, 2018
Talk of an end to this struggle has been amplified by a rush of senior Karnataka leaders travelling to Delhi. The group includes ministers and ministerial aspirants from both camps who will likely set up cheerleading booths on the meetings’ sidelines.
