DK Shivakumar signals push for CM post as Congress leadership row deepen

DK Shivakumar’s cryptic X post on “keeping one’s word” has intensified the Karnataka Congress power tussle, reviving debates over a reported power-sharing pact. With Kharge acknowledging the crisis, both Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah have been summoned to Delhi for a final decision

Bengaluru: A fresh jolt hit Karnataka’s ruling Congress amid party chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s move to resolve the power tussle, Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Congress president DK. Shivakumar, on Thursday, posted a cryptic message on social media platform X about “keeping the given word,” signaling a renewed push for the Chief Minister’s post following the Congress government’s two-and-a-half-year milestone.

According to party sources, the deputy CM once again reminded the high command and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of the commitment on power sharing and the transfer of the Chief Minister’s post to him after the government completes two and a half years in office.

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Shivakumar posted a poster carrying the line “Word power is world power” in bold red letters, apparently a direct message to the party’s top leadership. In the post, he explains, “The biggest force in the world is to keep one’s word. Be it a judge, president, or anyone else, including myself, everyone has to walk the walk. Word power is world power.”

Party insiders say that the X post is a clear indication that Shivakumar is ready to speak openly on the leadership dispute and the reported understanding on sharing the top post. It is seen as a reminder to Siddaramaiah to step aside and to the high command about the reported secret pact for each leader to hold the office of the CM for half the term.

Shivakumar’s post came soon after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge acknowledged the leadership crisis for the first time and said that both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar would be called to Delhi, where the issue would be settled after a meeting.

Speaking at an event at the KPCC office on Constitution Day on Wednesday, the deputy CM had stressed the same lines about the strength of word power and the importance of keeping one’s word. These remarks, repeated in his social media post on Thursday, have fuelled the ongoing speculation.

Shivakumar has also said he would refrain from further comments as his statements were being misinterpreted. He noted that his remarks at Indira Gandhi’s anniversary event and his comment on bait fishing on World Fisheries Day had been taken out of context.

“The media is gaining good TRP through such coverage and, in the process, strengthening our party,” the Karnataka Congress chief added. Despite this, his fresh message on X has been read within the party as another firm signal on the CM issue. Earlier, his younger brother, former MP DK Suresh, had also spoken on the importance of honouring commitments, telling reporters that they were free to interpret his statement as they wished.

Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have gone to Delhi for talks with national leaders.

Kharge met the Chief Minister in Bengaluru for more than an hour and a half, but sources say his attempts to calm both sides have not succeeded. The matter is now expected to be handled by Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Siddaramaiah, who had earlier declared that he would serve a full five-year term, later clarified that the question of leadership rested with the high command and that both he and Shivakumar would follow its decision. Both groups are now awaiting the meeting in Delhi under Rahul Gandhi’s chairmanship.