The political circles of Karnataka continue to question the tenure of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. In the midst of these speculations, he is his Deputy Chief Minister and another contender for the post of Chief Minister, D.K. He has come to Delhi for the second time within a week with Shivkumar.
Siddaramaiah, in his second term as the Chief Minister, is at the threshold of becoming the longest chief minister of the state, and he is getting closer to the records of Veteran Devraj Urs to be the Chief Minister for more than 2,700 days.
Despite his claims, the question remains whether he will complete the entire 5 -year term, or will make it to DKS under an alleged rotational formula. Shivkumar is addressed as DKS.
The two are in New Delhi on their third visit since June, while the state Congress unit has uncomfortable peace, where the sounds of both the camps have been calmed on the issue of the Chief Minister after the high command’s order.
The two leaders are likely to meet the top Congress leaders during their visit to the national capital. Unlike the past, this time no open comments have been made by the legislators on the issue of Chief Minister’s change after the leadership order.
However, summarizing the atmosphere within the ruling party, a senior Congress leader said that with the completion of two and a half years of the government, silence strategy and maneuver are definitely going on.
Although the Delhi Yatra is to attend the “Participation Justice Conference” organized by the Backward Classes Unit of the All India Congress Committee on Friday, the internal sources of the Congress indicate that the Chief Minister may meet party leader Rahul Gandhi.
Last time no such meeting was held in the second week of July. However, there is no official confirmation in this regard yet.
There is speculation to change the Chief Minister later this year in the political circles of the state, especially within the ruling Congress, in which the power-sharing agreement between Siddaramaiah and Shivkumar is being cited.
However, it seems that the Congress leadership has adopted a strategy to wait for both sides to wait till the end of Bihar elections.
Siddaramaiah is currently the only OBC Chief Minister of the Congress in the country, and many party leaders believe that any move to change him will affect the party’s performance in Bihar, where OBC votes are important.
A Congress leader said that it will also be seen as an opposite step of the OBC issue, for which Rahul Gandhi has been practicing issues like caste census and increasing reservation quota.
The party realizes that if she takes any step against Siddaramaiah, she will have to face the consequences, because Siddaramaiah has a big support base in Ahinda (Kannada brief name for minorities, backward classes and Dalits) and has also gained confidence of most MLAs.
In fact, the Congress has made him a member of the AICC OBC Advisory Council to use height as Siddaramaiah’s OBC leader, whose first meeting was recently under his leadership here.
A senior Congress official said that earlier this month, there was a direct message to the high command by Siddaramaiah to remain the Chief Minister for five years in Delhi earlier this month, which has kept a strategic silence on the issue of leadership change and power partnership in a way.
When Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge recently said that it is the work of the party high command to decide on such matters, he did not reject anything strongly and said that no one should create unnecessary problems.
A party leader said that the Chief Minister had claimed to complete the term, so that the leadership could be prevented from holding any kind of conversation on change, while his government is completing its two and a half years in November. Siddaramaiah was actually hoping to meet Rahul Gandhi at that time, but this could not happen.
After the Congress victory in the 2023 state elections, Siddaramaiah and Shivkumar took a tough fight for the post of Chief Minister. The party convinced DKS and made him Deputy Chief Minister.
At that time there were some reports that an agreement has been reached on the basis of “Rotational Chief Minister Formula”, according to which Shivkumar will become CM after two and a half years, but it has not been officially confirmed by the party.
A senior Congress worker said, “If the rotational CM becomes an understanding on the formula and Siddaramaiah accepts it, he can negotiate or break the record of D. Devraj Urs as the longest executive head of the state – to talk to the tenure extended by January 2026 – to the tenure.”
Urs, who was a two -time Chief Minister, held office for 2,792 days, which is about 7.6 years, and Siddaramaiah, who is also in his second term, will match the earlier records on 6 January 2026. Siddaramaiah had earlier led the Congress government of 2013-18.
Many internal sources of the party say that Shivkumar wants to appear as a person walking on the party line, without taking any step or made a statement that the matter deteriorates and the Congress has to be embarrassed.
The Vokkaliga leaders, who are credited with strengthening the support of the party in the old Mysore region, are relying on their loyalty to the party and the Gandhi family, which will work in their favor.
A leader said, “Shivkumar is a strategist, he plays his cards very closely, he is also a very religious person and has been visiting temples and monasteries.” He also indicated that the state Congress chiefs are not quietly back down.
