Karnataka showdown: Will DK Shivakumar replace Siddaramaiah as CM? Here’s what two Congress leaders have to say

For quite some time, there has been growing speculation about internal discord within the Karnataka Congress and a possible leadership change in one of three states where the grand old party is in power.

Now, two senior party leaders Veerappa Moily and Basavaraju Shivaganga have pushed for Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to be Karnataka’s next Chief Minister replacing Siddaramaiah. Moily expressed his hope to see Shivakumar assume the state’s top post while Shivaganga said Karnataka Deputy CM would take over as Chief Minister by December.

“I am the one who secured the MLA ticket for DK Shivakumar for the first time. Today, he has become a successful leader in Karnataka. We all wish for him to become the Chief Minister soon,” said Moily, the former Karnataka Chief Minister.

Moily, the former chief minister of Karnataka, said Shivakumar’s rise to the top is certain. “He has provided strong leadership and prioritised strengthening the party. Some may criticise him for personal reasons, but that won’t change anything. Becoming chief minister is not something that needs to be granted to him; he has earned it,” Moily said.

Amid speculation of a change in leadership in Karnataka, Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Congress President, has emerged a strong contender for the chief minister’s post.

‘DK to become CM by December’

Congress MLA Basavaraju V Shivaganga said on Sunday that Shivakumar will become the Chief Minister by December. Shivaganga said that Shivakumar would serve as chief minister for the next 7.5 years from December, as the party is expected to win the next Assembly elections.

“Write it down, it will happen by December. I can also write and give it to you in blood if you want, that he (Shivakumar) will become CM by December. If he takes charge in December, he will run the administration, including the next five-year term too, so by and large, he will be CM for 7.5 years,” Shivaganga told reporters.

Without explicitly confirming whether a power-sharing agreement exists, the Channagiri MLA responded to a question by emphasising Shivakumar’s contributions to the party. He credited Shivakumar for increasing the party’s seat tally in both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

“He (Shivakumar) has made history. He has organised the party, invested his resources, and sacrificed a lot for it. His silence or composure should not be mistaken for weakness. The high command is aware of everything, and I am a hundred per cent sure he will be CM by December,” he added.

‘Rotational Chief Minister’

There have been talks in the state’s political circles, especially in the ruling Congress party, about a chief minister change later this year, under a “rotational chief minister” or “power-sharing” formula.

“It is for the high command to decide,” Siddaramaiah told reporters in February in response to a discussion about leadership change.

There have been attempts by a section of party leaders and workers to project Shivakumar as the next chief minister. There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the chief minister’s post after the declaration of Assembly election results in May 2023. The Congress had convinced the latter and made him the Deputy Chief Minister.

Some reports at the time suggested that a compromise had been reached based on a “rotational chief minister formula,” according to which Shivakumar would become CM after two and a half years. The party has not officially confirmed this.