BENGALURU: Amid speculation over a potential change in Karnataka’s leadership, Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly and BJP MLA R Ashoka claimed that there was no coordination between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and it was unclear who was the current Chief Minister.
Ashoka said, “This is a crucial stage in Karnataka politics. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar are engaged in a street fight. The Congress High Command is weak. The demand of DK Shivakumar is the implementation of the 2.5-year power-sharing rule but Siddaramaiah is not leaving. In the last one year, there has been no development, and there is no coordination between the CM and Deputy CM. Ministers are not coming to Vidhana Soudha. Some MLAs went to Delhi, and more than 12 to 13 MLAs to a resort in Bengaluru. We don’t know who the CM is. Siddaramaiah is not CM now”.
#WATCH | Bengaluru, Karnataka: On Karnataka Leadership Row, LoP in Karnataka Assembly & BJP MLA, R Ashoka says, “This is a very, very crucial stage in Karnataka politics. The fight between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar has turned into a street fight. The Congress High Command is… pic.twitter.com/sK308EQqlg
— ANI (@ANI) November 29, 2025
He further said that today the NDA would hold a meeting on Saturday. There is speculation that the opposition could seek to move a confidence vote during the next assembly session. “Today, there is a Janata Dal (Secular) and BJP meeting. HD Kumaraswamy and BJP’s BY Vijayendra will attend. There are several issues”, he added.
Meanwhile, CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar met for breakfast on Saturday, intending to get closer to resolving the ongoing power crisis within the party. Following his breakfast meet, Shivakumar will travel to Delhi to meet the party’s high command, including chief Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi.
CM Siddaramaiah has maintained his stance. “The high command has called both of us, so I have invited him (DK Shivakumar) for breakfast, and we will talk there. As I said earlier, I will accept whatever the high command says; there is no change in my stand. Even he (DK Shivakumar) said that whatever the high command says we’ll follow that…” Siddaramaiah said earlier on Friday. Shivakumar in turn has reiterated his loyalty to the Congress and said that the party high command will take any decision regarding leadership in the congress-led state government.
Congress is likely to discuss the crisis with the central leaders after the party’s strategy group meeting ahead of the winter session of Parliament on November 30. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru earlier, Shivakumar responded to questions about his supporters wanting to see him as the next CM.”The party workers may be eager, but I am in no hurry. The party will take all the decisions.”
He did not rule out a visit to the national capital, though he clarified that his trip would be to raise several key issues with the Congress leadership ahead of the winter session of Parliament.
Nanjavadutha Swamiji, a spiritual leader from the Vokkaliga community, visited Shivakumar’s residence on Friday and publicly backed him amid apparent tussle for the post of Chief Minister. Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar have been exchanging cryptic posts on social media, with Siddaramaiah emphasising that “a word is not power unless it betters the world” and Shivakumar stating that “word power is world power”.
Shivakumar is pushing for a leadership change, citing a “secret agreement” among senior leaders that he should take over as CM after 2.5 years. The high command, led by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, is expected to make a decision soon.
Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have expressed willingness to abide by the party’s decision. The tussle, fueled by the “power-sharing agreement” of 2023 between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, has pushed each side’s loyalists to lobby for their leaders’ claims to the state’s top post. (ANI)
