A deepening battle for power within the Karnataka Congress reached a fresh flashpoint on Thursday, exposing the widening divide between supporters of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. What began months ago as quiet murmurs over an alleged “2.5-year power-sharing pact” has now evolved into an open contest for the Chief Minister’s chair — one that is increasingly playing out in public rather than behind closed doors.
The latest escalation stemmed from a remark — and a controversial social-media post — attributed to DK Shivakumar. Speaking at an event in Bengaluru, and echoed in an X post that he later claimed was “fake,” Shivakumar declared: “Word power is world power. The biggest force in the world is to keep one’s word… everyone has to walk the talk.” For many within the party, the line was seen as a direct reminder to the high command about their alleged commitment to hand over the Chief Minister’s position to him halfway through the government’s term. Though Shivakumar denied writing the post, the message remains visible on his account and continues to spark speculation.
Siddaramaiah responded sharply and publicly. Posting what many saw as a calculated counterattack, he wrote: “A word is not power unless it betters the world for the people,” before listing the highlights of his governance record from both his current term and his previous stint as Chief Minister. Emphasising that the people’s mandate was for a full five years — not for momentary political bargaining — he added: “The Congress party, including me, is walking the talk for our people with compassion, consistency and courage.” He concluded with a pointed reworking of Shivakumar’s phrase: “Our Word to Karnataka is not a slogan — it means the World to us.”
Even more dramatic than the public exchanges was the response from inside the Cabinet. Siddaramaiah’s close confidant and Home Minister G Parameshwara stunned observers by saying that he would fully accept DK Shivakumar as Chief Minister if the Congress leadership decided so. Minutes later, another minister — Zameer Ahmed Khan — asserted the opposite, insisting that Siddaramaiah would complete his term. The back-to-back statements exposed the split within the ruling party with rare clarity.
Through months of speculation, the Congress high command has maintained silence — neither confirming nor denying the alleged rotational agreement, leaving the state’s leadership in a prolonged state of flux. With the Siddaramaiah government crossing the 2.5-year mark, the internal contest has now entered a decisive and volatile phase, where each public gesture, speech, and post is being analysed for political meaning.
What remains unclear is whether the party’s top leadership in Delhi will intervene decisively — or whether the battle between the two camps will continue to intensify, shaping both the direction and the stability of the government in Karnataka.
