Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's meeting with senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi has once again brought the spotlight back on the unresolved leadership question in Karnataka. Sources told NDTV that the interaction took place on Friday evening and was a focused one-on-one discussion with Shivakumar, followed by a separate meeting with Kharge.
While the Congress has made no official statement on the outcome, sources confirm that Friday's talks revolved around Karnataka's political situation, internal coordination within the government and the growing buzz around leadership dynamics.
The timing of the meeting is significant, as it comes amid renewed political chatter triggered by Shivakumar's recent public messaging and parallel engagements by other senior Karnataka leaders in Delhi.
Adding to the backdrop, Shivakumar is also part of key organisational discussions linked to upcoming elections in different states. The Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister attended a Congress meeting related to the Assam polls, underlining his continuing role in the party's national organisational strategy.
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At the same time, Karnataka Energy Minister KJ George met Rahul Gandhi in Delhi. According to sources, George apprised Gandhi of the prevailing political environment in the state and flagged the need for a cabinet reshuffle, indicating that internal course correction is very much on the leadership's radar.
An X Post That Reignites Speculation
The renewed churn follows a cryptic post by Shivakumar on X earlier this week. "Even if the effort fails, the prayer does not fail," he wrote, a line that immediately fuelled speculation across Karnataka's political circles. Within the Congress, the message read as a reflection of the prevailing uncertainty rather than an open assertion of ambition, but its timing ensured it did not go unnoticed by the high command.
Rahul Gandhi's recent visit to Mysuru further adds to the narrative. He was received together by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, a carefully watched moment within the party that signals unity on the surface even as questions around leadership persist.
Publicly, Shivakumar continues to stress that leadership decisions are the prerogative of the Congress high command. Privately, senior leaders acknowledge that his organisational grip and administrative influence keep him central to all strategic deliberations concerning Karnataka.
From Organiser To Indispensable Power Centre
Shivakumar's standing within the Congress undergoes a decisive shift after March 2020, when he took charge as president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee. The party was then still reeling from the 2018 assembly elections, reduced to 80 seats. Over the next three years, Shivakumar led an aggressive organisational rebuild, culminating in the Congress winning 135 seats in the 2023 assembly elections and returning to power with a clear majority.
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Party leaders repeatedly have pointed to his role in shaping the Karnataka leg of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra. The march spanned more than 500 kilometres across the state and drew sustained crowds, helping the Congress reconnect with grassroots workers and voters ahead of the polls.
Crisis Manager With Proven Political Capital
Within Congress circles, Shivakumar has been remembered as a reliable crisis manager. In 2017, he played a pivotal role in housing Gujarat Congress MLAs in Bengaluru during the Rajya Sabha elections to prevent defections. During the political upheaval of 2019 in Karnataka, as the coalition government collapsed, Shivakumar focused on damage control and organisational continuity.
Earlier this year, he stated that the Congress aimed to reclaim 60 of the 89 Lok Sabha seats it lost in the 2023 elections. Party insiders see this as part of a longer-term strategy to rebuild the organisation rather than an immediate leadership pitch.
Governance And Infrastructure Push
As Urban Development Minister since May 2023, Shivakumar turned his attention to long-stalled infrastructure projects. Official records show that more than 1,200 projects worth nearly Rs 15,000 crore were stuck due to funding constraints and pending approvals inherited from the previous regime.
Sources told NDTV that key projects began to move. The Mahadayi Water Project, politically sensitive and long delayed, advanced after environmental clearances were secured in 2024, followed by tenders worth around Rs 5,000 crore. In Bengaluru, progress was reported on the Peripheral Ring Road project, estimated at Rs 27,000 crore, with major land acquisition milestones crossed. Feasibility approvals for the proposed tunnel road project have also been in place, while several double-decker flyover corridors have become operational, with officials noting reduced commute times on select stretches.
Leadership Question Remains Open
Against this wider backdrop, Shivakumar's meetings with Rahul Gandhi and Kharge acquired added significance. With local body elections approaching and pressure mounting to stabilise governance and address Bengaluru's infrastructure challenges, the Congress leadership is aware that Karnataka remains a critical state for the party.
For now, the high command maintains strategic silence. Whether the conversations in Delhi signal routine coordination or point to a larger political recalibration in Karnataka is a question the Congress is not yet ready to answer publicly.
