BENGALURU: Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar‘s determined refusal to step down as Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president has intensified the internal power struggle within the party, even as the leadership in Delhi has signalled it is backing him – at least for now.
Shivakumar, who returned to Bengaluru after a two-day trip to Delhi, is said to have firmly conveyed to the Congress high command that he would not relinquish the party post unless he is assured of the chief ministership.
Sources said the high command has, in turn, communicated to CM Siddaramaiah and his cabinet loyalists, who have been pressing for Shivakumar’s removal, that there would be no leadership change in the state unit before the upcoming zilla and taluk panchayat elections later this year.
Observers believe Shivakumar’s insistence on retaining his KPCC post is closely tied to his goal of becoming CM. Relinquishing it, they say, could weaken his leverage within the party.
“There is an undercurrent of one-upmanship between the two stalwarts – Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar – to take control of Congress’ state unit. Shivakumar’s retention of the KPCC chief’s position is seen as a move to balance these power equations,” said political analyst Vishwas Shetty.
The campaign to remove Shivakumar, led by a group of ministers close to Siddaramaiah, including cooperation minister KN Rajanna, was based on the party’s “one man, one post” principle. But the movement lost momentum following a honeytrap controversy that shook the political establishment. Rajanna’s open admission that he was among 48 politicians targeted in the alleged plot forced a temporary pause in the campaign.
Unmoved by the internal dissent, Shivakumar has asserted that leadership roles should be earned. “KPCC positions aren’t available in shops, nor can they be obtained by speaking to the media,” he said in response to his critics.
Public works minister Satish Jarkiholi, who has emerged as a key aspirant for the top KPCC role, has publicly pushed for a leadership change. “There is a written note with the AICC general secretary (organisation) and MP KC Venugopal on the change of the KPCC president after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” Jarkiholi insists, arguing that a dedicated president is crucial to building grassroots support ahead of the 2028 assembly elections.
