- Leadership friction between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar eased with a new power-sharing formula
- Shivakumar will remain deputy chief minister and state Congress chief until a smooth transition occurs
- More cabinet portfolios will be allocated to Shivakumar’s loyalists as part of the compromise deal
The leadership friction between Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy, DK Shivakumar, has been wiped clean with a new formula whose details are coming out in bits and pieces. The final picture will emerge only after the Congress leadership in Delhi takes a call.
The two leaders, whose ties had sourced in recent times over the question of chief ministership, had breakfast together this morning to broadcast a sense of letting bygones be bygones.
But political analysts say the optics of the meeting ensured the Congress avoided making a scene out of the two leaders' strained ties - and instead found a pressure release valve that safely defused the tension with a very strong likelihood of Shivakumar taking the top post in a smooth transition of power as soon as possible. Some say as early as by March-April 2026.
The compromise formula, as it is being referred to by analysts, needs Shivakumar to keep calm and carry on as the deputy chief minister till the time the transition of power happens, sources said.
In return and to make good on the word, more cabinet portfolios would go to Shivakumar's loyalists and he would continue as the Karnataka Congress chief. Eventually, Siddaramaiah is expected to support Shivakumar's leadership in 2028 when the election is due.
Shivakumar also can't make haste due to the simple reason that he does not have the number on his side to launch an all-out coup. The Congress also knows unseating an experienced, senior leader like Siddaramaiah would hurt the party.
Under these circumstances, Shivakumar probably has the best deal he could get, sources said.
The 'compromise' on the chief minister's part has got something to do with the fact that Siddarmaiah knows he will not be chief minister forever, obviously. To this end, he already declared this would be his last term on the high table. He has already cemented his legacy and seems keen to keep it that way, to leave on a good note as one of the tallest leaders of Karnataka.
This 'compromise formula', however, depends on some variables that may disturb or smoothen the transition of power.
The first is basic - would Shivakumar trust Siddaramaiah to keep his word? After all, the adage "natak in Karnataka" comes from last-minute surprises on power-sharing.
Second, would the Congress high command in Delhi be able to ensure the transition happens well in time for the 2028 battle?
And third, Siddaramaiah isn't easy from the party's point of view, given the caste calculus. He's seen as the most powerful face of the 'AHINDA' political alignment, a formation that comprises major caste and religious blocs, aimed at challenging the domination of the Lingayat sect and the Other Backward Classes (OBC) Vokkaligas. Shivakumar is the face of the OBC Vokkaliga community, and the Congress cannot alienate this group.
