BENGALURU:
The ongoing power tussle within the Karnataka Congress shifted to the national capital on Tuesday, after AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar held a long, private discussion while travelling together to the Bengaluru airport. Kharge, who had been in the city for the past few days meeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other senior leaders, left for Delhi to brief Rahul Gandhi on the latest political churn, according to sources.
Shivakumar’s unexpected meeting with Kharge — after weeks of not interacting directly — triggered political curiosity. The Congress chief travelled in Shivakumar’s car from his Sadashivanagar residence to the airport, where the two discussed the leadership transition and the long-pending question of power-sharing, party insiders said. Shivakumar reportedly urged the high command to take a clear decision to end the confusion.
Kharge, however, downplayed the significance of the meeting, stating that he was travelling to Delhi only to participate in Constitution Day programmes and refrained from commenting on internal party matters.
Sources said Shivakumar is preparing to leave for Delhi on Wednesday or Thursday, with strong indications that he intends to pursue his claim to the chief minister’s post more assertively. Political circles are abuzz with speculation that Shivakumar may rally close MLAs, hold a show-of-strength, and build pressure on the central leadership through AICC general secretaries K.C. Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala.
The Shivakumar camp continues to insist that the high command must resolve the leadership question immediately, arguing that prolonged uncertainty is harming governance and party cohesion in Karnataka.
