Overview
- Marking 2.5 years in office, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he will continue in the role and present future state budgets, adding that any reshuffle or leadership decision rests with the central leadership.
- Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar adopted a conciliatory line by wishing the CM “all the best,” denying factionalism, linking legislators’ Delhi trips to ministerial hopes, and visiting two jailed Congress MLAs in Bengaluru.
- Roughly 10–15 MLAs and several MLCs lobbied in New Delhi for Shivakumar’s elevation, drawing a public caution from AICC in-charge Randeep Surjewala, who also accused the BJP and a section of the media of pushing a maligning narrative.
- Congress signals indicate no immediate leadership change as senior leaders collate organisational inputs and seek to tamp down public sparring within the Karnataka unit.
- In a concurrent development, the JD(S) unanimously re-elected H.D. Deve Gowda as national president and H.D. Kumaraswamy as Karnataka president at its silver jubilee council meeting.