‘In Congress, DKS vs Siddaramaiah fight is very strong’: Oppn leader Ashoka amid leadership tussle

BENGALURU: Leader of the Opposition and BJP leader R Ashoka on Wednesday claimed that infighting within the Congress party in the state has intensified, alleging contradictions between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar over a power-sharing agreement.

“This shows that in the Congress party, DKS vs Siddaramaiah fight is very strong. That is why every day they are giving political statements. Siddaramaiah has said many times that there is no agreement. Whereas the Dy CM said that the agreement happened and it stands…,” R Ashoka said.

On Tuesday, Congress leader D K Suresh urged patience, asserting that DK Shivakumar remains disciplined and committed to the party’s collective decision-making process. “The party has said before. Be patient. During a meeting in Mysore, he said that we will take the right decision at the right time”, Suresh said, adding that the party’s focus remains on the 2028 Assembly elections.

Suresh further stated that Shivakumar has been “patiently waiting for the party’s order” and stressed that the post of Chief Minister is not easily attained. “If it were written on my brother’s forehead, he would have become the Chief Minister”, he said, underlining the need for party discipline and unity.

Bengaluru, Karnataka | Congress leader DK Suresh says, “The party has said this before. Be patient. During a meeting in Mysore, he said that we will take the right decision at the right time. DK Shivakumar has been a disciplined soldier from the beginning. In the party’s and the… pic.twitter.com/RvC86ZX6HW

— ANI (@ANI) January 20, 2026

He said, “In the party’s and the MLAs’ interests, he is patiently waiting for the party’s order to bring all 140 MLAs together. Power does not come so easily to anyone, I have said it before. If it were written on my brother’s forehead, he would have become the Chief Minister. I will say the same now. The post of Chief Minister is not very easy. It is not easily obtained. Everyone should participate in this. Our goal is the 2028 elections. The party should take the 2028 elections together. Therefore, we must be patient in the interests of the aggrieved workers. He is the party president. We need to see discipline in him. Therefore, he is following that discipline.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday refrained from discussing his meeting with the Congress high command in New Delhi. He asked the media “not make a big deal” out of his visit, stating he came to the national capital for government and party work.

Maintaining that he would not disclose anything regarding the meeting, he said, “I cannot disclose it. Time will answer everything… We are all politicians; politicians do whatever politics they want. There is nothing wrong with that. We have met. Why do you make a big deal out of it? We come here for government work, for party work. We come here for politics.”

His visit comes in the backdrop of a speculation over a possible leadership change in Karnataka. As the state government crossed the halfway mark of its tenure in November 2025, a speculated tussle for the CM post began with CM Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM Shivakumar and Home Minister G Parameshwara in the fray. (ANI)