Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar meet Congress High Command amid Karnataka Leadership Tussle

The ongoing leadership tussle within the Karnataka Congress reached Delhi on Tuesday as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar met the party’s top leadership amid continued speculation over a possible change in state leadership.

Both leaders held discussions with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, MP Rahul Gandhi, and AICC general secretary KC Venugopal at Indira Bhavan, as the party attempted to address growing political buzz around a power-sharing arrangement in Karnataka.

Before leaving Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said he was unaware of the agenda of the meeting and described his visit as one based on an invitation from the party leadership. Shivakumar also arrived in Delhi shortly after for the scheduled discussions.

The high-level meeting comes amid persistent tensions between the Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar camps nearly three years after Congress formed the government in Karnataka. Party sources said the discussions could also cover cabinet expansion, Rajya Sabha nominations, MLC elections, and organisational matters.

Congress leaders, however, dismissed speculation about a leadership change, calling the meeting routine and linked to upcoming legislative and organisational requirements in the state.

While the party attempts to project unity, opposition parties continue to highlight internal differences, claiming that the leadership uncertainty is affecting governance in Karnataka.