D K Shivakumar says time will answer leadership issue

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said he continues to live with hope and confidence amid leadership speculation. He said time will provide answers and stressed patience, even as reports suggest talks on a possible power transition

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, who returned from New Delhi after meeting the Indian National Congress high command amid the leadership tussle in the state, on Friday said he lives with “hope and confidence” and that there will always be fruit for the efforts made.

He also reiterated that “time will answer”, in the wake of reports that both he and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah may soon be called to New Delhi by the party leadership to discuss a possible transition of power.

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“I always live with hope and confidence. There will always be fruit for the effort, whether it is for you, for me, or for anyone else. Where there is effort, there is fruit; where there is devotion, there is God,” Shivakumar told reporters in response to a question after returning from New Delhi.

Asked whether the fruit of his efforts could be expected soon, he said, “Let’s talk about that some other time.”

Responding to reports that both he and Siddaramaiah would be summoned to New Delhi around February 17 by the Congress high command to discuss a possible power transition, Shivakumar said, “I don’t know. Let’s see. Time will answer everything.”

Shivakumar met senior party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi , as well as AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge , during his New Delhi visit.

On Thursday, the Deputy CM had told reporters in Delhi that the leadership issue was not discussed with the party’s top brass, but added that “patience will also pay”. He had said the party’s central leadership would take a call at an appropriate time in the interest of the state.

The leadership tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculation about a possible change of chief minister after the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, 2025.

The speculation has been fuelled by a reported power-sharing arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar at the time of the government’s formation in 2023.

Siddaramaiah had on Wednesday asserted that both he and Shivakumar should abide by the Congress high command’s decision on the chief ministerial change issue.

Amid reports that some party legislators are planning a foreign tour to Australia and New Zealand, with speculation linking it to the ongoing power tussle within the ruling party, Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief, said he was not aware of it and would inquire.

“I have not received any report on this, nor have I tried to obtain information about it. Now that you have brought it to my notice, I will inquire,” he said, responding to a question about the legislators’ foreign tour, with some describing it as a study tour and others calling it personal.

When asked whether the Congress high command had sought any details on the tour, he said, “No one from the high command has spoken to me about this. Neither those going on the tour have spoken to me, nor those sending them.”