NEW DELHI: Will the Congress replace Siddaramaiah with D K Shivakumar as the chief minister of Karnataka? Had the top Congress leadership agreed to a power-sharing formula in 2023 to broker truce between two of its tallest leaders in the state – both vying for the top post? While the Congress has refused to clear the air on these questions, the supporters of the two heavyweights have on several occassions made contrary claims in the open much to the embarrassment of the party leadership. Little wonder then on November 20, when Siddaramaiah completed two and a half years as the chief minister, reports quoting Congress sources suggested that at least 15 MLAs and about a dozen MLCs have camped in Delhi to push the party leadership to make Shivakumar the next chief minister. Ironically, Karnataka, which gave the Congress one of its biggest electoral victories in recent times when in 2023 the grand-old party stormed to power with 135 seats in the 224-member state assembly, has also been one of its biggest worries since then.

With the Congress leadership dithering – the internal ‘nataka’ in the state is out in the open like never before forcing the party to issue a stern warning to its MLAs and leaders against making any public statements on the issue of leadership.This even as Siddaramaiah has been quick to interpret the leadership’s silence as a tacit approval for his stand on the issue. “Has the high command spoken on it? We can’t help it. Earlier also some people were discussing it, and now they might have gone (to Delhi). Finally, Shivakumar and I have to listen to whatever the high command says,” the chief minister said when asked about some MLAs and MLCs camping in Delhi. To a question whether he would present the next two state budgets, Siddaramaiah retorted, “Why are you asking this? Yes, I will continue. I will present the budgets in future also.”Clearly, the chief minister seems to be in no mood to step down. This should worry the Congress as DK Shivakumar, while not raising the pitch himself, has backed the action of his supporters. “All MLAs have the right to visit and meet their leaders. You cannot stop them. You cannot tell them not to go. Many MLAs travel with ministers, and many go with the chief minister. Who has stopped them? No one has troubled them,” the deputy chief minister said defending the leaders who reportedly went to Delhi in his support.

DK Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress president, has made it clear that he expects the party high command to do the needfull. Refusing to join issues with Siddaramaiah, DKS has shifted the onus to party’s leadership. “Our CM has always articulated his ideology. I will not comment on it. He has said the matter is between him and the high command. Siddaramaiah has stated that he will abide by whatever the high command decides. The CM will listen to the high command, and I am also on the same page. We are all committed to the high command’s decision,” DKS said when asked about Siddaramaiah’s claim of completing his full tenure of five years. “Honourable CM Siddaramaiah has stated that he will complete five years. I wish him all the luck,” DKS added in a cryptic response.Interestingly, Randeep Singh Surjewala, the AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, tried to put the blame for leadership tussle on a “decisively defeated and faction-ridden” BJP, along with a section of the media. “Had a discussion with Karnataka CM and Deputy CM and they agreed that a decisively defeated and faction ridden Karnataka BJP, along with a section of the media, are designedly running a maligning campaign against Karnataka and its Congress government,” he alleged in a post on ‘X’. Surjewala and the Congress would do well to accept that it is their leaders and MLAs who are speaking in public leading to speculations.The Congress leadership needs to act before it is too late. Both Siddaramaiah and DKS enjoy considerable support in the state perhaps making it difficult for the Congress leadership to take a decision. However, the delay and dithering could prove costly to the grand-old party, which has its own government in only 3 states – Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal.The Congress leadership would do well to remember Rajasthan where leadership tussle between two state heavyweights cost its government and the party almost lost Sachin Pilot. If the Congress continues to dither in Karnataka as it did in Rajasthan, the grand-old party may end up losing another state and that too much before the next assembly elections – which are due in 2028.