Congress Chief Admits of Power Struggle in Karnataka, Hopes to Settle Issues by Weekend

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Nov 26: After remaining in the denial mode for months, the Congress central leadership on Wednesday admitted the existence of leadership crisis in the Congress legislature party in Karnataka, one of the only three states the party is ruling, and hoped to end the tussle by the end of this week.

The Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday confirmed the open secret about the tug-of-war between the incumbent chief minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy and the state Congress chief DK Shivakumar, popularly known as DKS, over sharing the chief minister’s chair and said the tussle would be resolved after he talked to the Gandhis, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, both former presidents.

The leadership battle within the Karnataka Congress sharpened this week with Mr Siddaramaiah publicly urging the party high command to “put a full stop to the confusion” and Mr Shivakumar confirming the existence of a “secret deal” involving “five-six” senior leaders on power-sharing but refused to spell out the “deal.”

“Sonia (Gandhi), Rahul (Gandhi), and I will fix it…” the party President said and the party sources said a solution to the power struggle in Karnataka was expected to be resolved by December 1 when the winter session of Parliament begins. Sources also said a Kharge-Rahul Gandhi meeting will likely be scheduled in the next 48 hours, after which Siddaramaiah and DKS will be summoned to Delhi, possibly on Friday.

That the Congress has now admitted to the power struggle underscores the extent of factionalism in its Karnataka unit, with a group of MLAs firmly backing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and another insisting DKS take over. And this afternoon’s admission also represents a U-turn from last week, when party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala insisted, as he did in June, that all is well.

He said on X he had spoken to both camps and all three had “agreed” that a ‘malicious’ campaign led by the opposition BJP was to be blamed for talk of a ‘leadership crisis’ in the state. But, in comments emphasising confusion in the Congress, DKS also referred to a “secret deal between five-six of us”. “I don’t want to speak publicly on this. I believe in my conscience.”

Mr Kharge’s acknowledgment of that struggle followed unsubtle remarks from members of DKS’ camp, who were reportedly told in 2023 their man, after orchestrating the Congress’ surprise election win, would share the top job with Siddaramaiah; i.e., each would hold it for 2.5 years. That 2.5 year ‘deadline’ fell due last week and, on cue, a group of DKS-backing Karnataka Congress lawmakers landed in Delhi to remind Mr Kharge and the Congress HQ of that ‘deal.’

On record DKS has downplayed any bid to replace Siddaramaiah. “I haven’t asked for anything…” he said, but did not say there was no discussion over his promotion. The Deputy Chief Minister, also the Congress’ state boss, only refused to “bring embarrassment to the Congress.” He urged party leaders to focus on the 2028 state and 2029 federal elections.

And he also rubbished any link between himself and the Delhi-camped MLAs supporting his chief ministerial bid, suggesting their presence was tied to a proposed cabinet reshuffle. Tellingly, though, DKS also remarked ‘there is nothing wrong with being ambitious.’

On the other hand Siddaramaiah, who till Tuesday evening maintained “my power hasn’t gone… it has only gotten stronger,” finally admitted to confusion over his future, though he also expressed confidence the powers-that-be will, for a third time, re-endorse his chief ministership. “Let them go. MLAs have the freedom to go to Delhi. Let’s see what their opinion is. Ultimately, it’s the high command that decides. Let them (the MLAs) say what they want. Ultimately, to put a full stop to this confusion, the high command has to take a decision,” he told reporters.

Talk of a leadership change, never far from the surface in this iteration of Congress-ruled Karnataka, broke cover this month after remarks by DKS about quitting as the state unit boss. DKS holding that post and that of Deputy Chief Minister has often been flagged by the Siddaramaiah camp in arguments over the top leadership role. The Congress has a ‘one man, one post’ rule (adopted in 2022 at Rahul Gandhi’s insistence) that was relaxed for DKS.

Congress insiders say a power-sharing agreement was reached in May 2023 at Kharge’s residence, with Siddaramaiah getting the first 2.5 years and Shivakumar the remainder. Siddaramaiah’s reported assurance – “I will resign one week before completing 2.5 years” – is now central to the claim.

Siddaramaiah for long maintained “the Congress government will complete five years,” and later asserted he would remain the CM for the full term, but his tone softened only after his November 22 meeting with Kharge, after which he began saying the “high command will decide.”

The Leaders close to Shivakumar insist he was not seeking confrontation and will not rebel, but argue that the “understanding” must be respected. They say ignoring it would damage the Congress’s credibility and the loyalty of an organisational leader like Shivakumar.

The chief minister’s supporters deny any such agreement existed, point to his majority election as CLP leader in 2023, and argue that replacements should not be discussed unless raised formally within the legislature party. But both the leaders have avoided direct attack on each other.

Shivakumar called Siddaramaiah “a senior leader” and “an asset”, backed his plan to present the next Budget, and said the focus should be on the 2028 and 2029 polls. Siddaramaiah said MLAs were free to travel to Delhi but must ultimately abide by the high command’s decision.

The Party sources said Mr Shivkumar wanted the leadership issue to be settled before any Cabinet reshuffle. With both camps now openly acknowledging the confusion but placing the responsibility squarely on the high command, the final word will come from the Congress’s top trio – Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

As an aside, the two-way scrap in Karnataka could expand to a three-way contest if remarks by G Parameshwara were seen as the Home Minister throwing his hat in the ring too. A Siddaramaiah supporter, he said on Monday that “Dalits have been asking for the chief minister’s post for a long time…” and reminded reporters, “I have always been in the race (to be Chief Minister).”