‘I won’t travel to Delhi secretively’: DK Shivakumar on renewed ‘power sharing’ speculations in Karnataka

BENGALURU: Amid renewed speculation about power sharing in Karnataka, Deputy CM D K Shivakumar has reiterated that he will travel to New Delhi once the Congress party high command calls him, along with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Shivakumar was speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Saturday when he was asked whether he and the CM would visit Delhi to meet the Congress party high command. “I won’t travel to Delhi secretively. I will travel with the CM when the high command calls us. We will inform you (media) if we are travelling”, Shivakumar said.

#WATCH | Bengaluru | On VB-G-RAM-G Bill passed in Parliament, Karnataka Dy CM DK Shivakumar says, “They wanted to change Gandhi’s name… They wanted to kill this scheme. A big movement will start against this decision in Karnataka.” pic.twitter.com/fKkwkW9g64

— ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2025

On December 19, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah firmly rejected claims of a “two-and-a-half-year” power-sharing agreement, asserting that he remains the CM. Addressing repeated questions and interruptions from the Opposition regarding his tenure, Siddaramaiah clarified in the Assembly that no such arrangement exists and that he will remain Chief Minister until the party high command decides otherwise.

“First, the people must bless us. Then, the legislators elect the leader in the legislature party meeting, and after that, the high command decides. That is all I have said. Even now, I am the Chief Minister and I will remain the Chief Minister until the high command decides otherwise”, Siddaramaiah stated.

Speculation over whether Shivakumar will be appointed CM by the Congress high command persisted for a few days, until the party clarified the matter after the two leaders met for breakfast at each other’s residences and held a joint press conference to demonstrate party unity.

Earlier, Shivakumar dismissed speculation about the nature of his dinner meeting. “Who said? There was no dinner meeting or anything. I had gone for a dinner to my former DCC president to pay respect, they contributed a lot to Karnataka and Belagavi. So, to honour them, I went along with my friends. There is no other politics”. (ANI)