Shivakumar loyalists in Delhi amid buzz over Karnataka leadership change

The leadership churn in Karnataka spilled into a fresh round of lobbying on Monday, with another group of legislators backing Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar landing in Delhi, even as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reiterated that he would continue in office if the Congress high command directs him to do so.

Party sources confirmed that at least six MLAs reached the national capital on Sunday night, with more likely to follow in the coming days to press for elevating Shivakumar as Chief Minister. The mobilisation comes amid renewed speculation of a possible change of leadership after the Congress government completed half of its five-year term -- a milestone that has revived talk of an alleged 2023 “power-sharing” understanding between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.

Those who have already flown to Delhi include HC Balakrishna (Magadi), KM Uday (Maddur), Nayana Motamma (Mudigere), Iqbal Hussain (Ramanagara), Sharath Bachegowda (Hosakote), and Shivaganga Basavaraj (Channagiri), sources said. Their visit coincides with AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge’s scheduled travel to the national capital and comes as senior leader Rahul Gandhi is also expected to return from an overseas trip.

This is the second mobilisation in a week. Nearly 10 MLAs supportive of Shivakumar had earlier gone to Delhi to meet Kharge around the time the government crossed the 2.5-year mark. Shivakumar had then publicly maintained he had “no information” about any such travel.

Amid the heightened activity, Siddaramaiah stressed that the final decision lies solely with the party top brass. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said if the high command decided he should continue, he was prepared to do so, adding that both he and Shivakumar must accept whatever was decided. When asked again whether Shivakumar was in line to take over, he pushed back, saying the question was unnecessary since he had already clarified who would decide.

Siddaramaiah also recalled that the high command had agreed several months ago to a Cabinet reshuffle, but he had advised waiting until the government completed 2.5 years in office. Now that the midway point has passed, he said the party’s direction -- on the reshuffle or the leadership issue -- would be followed without exception. Asked about any formal agreement for a power transfer after 2.5 years, he only said he would abide by the high command.

The Chief Minister met Kharge for over an hour at the latter’s residence in Bengaluru on Saturday, a meeting that followed the first round of Delhi visits by MLAs from the Shivakumar camp. According to senior party insiders, Siddaramaiah is pushing for a Cabinet reshuffle, while Shivakumar wants the party to settle the leadership question before any ministerial overhaul.

Several Congress figures privately note that if the high command approves a reshuffle, it would effectively signal that Siddaramaiah is being allowed to complete the full five-year term, a development that could weaken Shivakumar’s prospects of moving to the top post.