In Karnataka, tension between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivkumar once again came to light on the public platform. On 19 July 2025, Siddaramaiah was angry at the Sadhana inclusion program in Mangaluru when a Congress worker advised him to take the name of DK Shivkumar in his speech. Siddaramaiah angrily said, “DK Shivkumar is in Bengaluru, not on stage. We only welcome the people present. Do not welcome the people sitting at home.” Surprisingly, DK Shivkumar was present in the program at that time and after giving his speech, he moved to Bengaluru citing emergency.
The incident took place in the backdrop of the ongoing tension in the Karnataka Congress over the post of Chief Minister. The BJP is claiming that DK Shivkumar can replace Siddaramaiah. However, the Congress leadership has denied any plan to remove Siddaramaiah. Siddaramaiah also dismissed the rumors of his removal from his post and said that he would remain the Chief Minister for five years. DK Shivkumar publicly supported him, but his disappointment has surfaced several times. He said, “I have no other option. I have to support the party and Siddaramaiah.”
The tension began in the 2023 assembly elections when the Congress won a stunning victory. DK Shivkumar, who is given a big credit for this victory, was a strong contender for the post of Chief Minister. But the party leadership chose Siddaramaiah and made Shivkumar the Deputy Chief Minister and State President. Some reports claimed that the two leaders agreed to the arrangement of the rotational Chief Minister after two and a half years, but it was never officially confirmed.
Some leaders like Congress MLA Iqbal Hussain have demanded to make Shivkumar the Chief Minister, which exposed the internal discord in the party. Siddaramaiah called the BJP’s claims “lies” and said that his government would last for five years like a “rock”.
