Congress boss Mallikarjun Kharge confirmed an open secret – the Karnataka leadership crisis – on Wednesday, and insisted the tug-of-war between the party's senior-most leaders in the state, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, or DKS, over the chief minister's post will be resolved, soon.
"Sonia (Gandhi), Rahul (Gandhi), and I will fix it…" the party President said this afternoon, shortly after sources told NDTV a solution will be found by December 1, when Parliament's Winter session starts.
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 – in one of only three states it rules outright, and which votes in two years' time – 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.
READ | In Siddaramaiah vs DK Shivakumar, Congress Slams "Needless Remarks"
He said on X he had spoken to both camps and all three had "agreed" that a 'malicious' campaign led by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party is to blame for talk of a 'leadership crisis' in the state.
Screenshot of X post by Randeep Surjewala on the Karnataka Chief Minister row.
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."
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 Kharge and the Congress HQ of that 'deal'.
One of the MLAs was Iqbal Hussain, who told NDTV the Congress chief listened sympathetically. On Tuesday night Hussain declared "200 per cent… he (DK Shivakumar) will become Chief Minister soon."
READ | "Shivakumar Will Be Chief Minister Soon": Congress MLA Who Is '200% Sure'
As an aside, when the Siddaramaiah-DKS 'I want to be Chief Minister' spat reared in June, Hussain had gone to bat for the latter, and claimed over a 100 MLAs stood ready to back him.
On record DKS has downplayed any bid to replace Siddaramaiah. "I haven't asked for anything…" he said, but did not say there is 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'.
Meanwhile 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.
READ | "There Is Confusion": Siddaramaiah Admits Amid Karnataka Leadership Crisis
"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.
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 Monday "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)."
