Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar held a second round of breakfast meeting in Bengaluru Tuesday morning as part of continuing efforts to project unity in the Congress government in the state, following a power tussle at the end of November that highlighted fractures within the party since 2023.
The breakfast meeting Tuesday held at the home of the Deputy CM Shivakumar was a follow-up meeting to the one held at the home of the Chief Minister on November 29, where a thaw was achieved in the growing chill between the two over the question of power sharing after the government reached its mid-term on November 20.
While the meeting on November 29 was held at the behest of the Congress high command to ease the internal tensions between the two primary leaders of the Congress party in Karnataka, the meeting on Tuesday was held after Shivakumar invited the CM for a reciprocal meal at his residence in central Bengaluru.
Once again, the two leaders dodged the key questions on the transition of power, cabinet reshuffle and put the ball in the court of the party’s central leadership, comprising Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, saying they would abide by any decision of the party’s high command.
Siddaramaiah, however, revealed that he would be meeting AICC general secretary K C Venugopal on the sidelines of an event in Mangaluru on Wednesday, while Shivakumar said he had discussed the issue of four MLC candidates for a forthcoming poll with the CM after speaking with another general secretary, Randeep Surjewala.
“We have discussed party issues. More importantly, we have discussed the strategy to counter the opposition in the legislature session, which begins on December 8. We will counter their arguments and their no-confidence motion,” Siddaramaiah said after the conclusion of the breakfast meeting with his deputy.
Siddaramaiah said the Congress government, being pro-farmer, was addressing the issues of sugarcane and maise farmers who have been distressed by a lack of prices for their products. He said efforts are underway to provide prices as per the MSP fixed by the centre.
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Shivakumar said he had discussed the four MLC choices with the CM following discussions with Surjewala, and that there were issues with one of the choices.
“Hosted the Hon’ble CM for breakfast at my residence today as we reaffirm our commitment to good governance and the continued development of our state under the Congress vision,” Shivakumar posted on social media after the meeting.
No communication for meeting in Delhi
Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have indicated that they have not received any word for a meeting in Delhi with the central leaders to resolve their issues.
The breakfast meeting at Shivakumar’s residence, which featured a non vegetarian meal for the CM and a vegetarian meal for the DCM as per their preferences, was also attended by the DCM’s brother and former MP D K Suresh, who is considered the main political strategist for Shivakumar, and a cousin of the DK brothers, Dr H D Ranganath, who is the Kunigal MLA.
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“Everything is going smoothly and will reach a certain point,” D K Suresh said Monday regarding the resolution of the power tussle that surfaced on November 20 after Shivakumar indirectly staked a claim for a power transfer at the mid-term of the government.
Suresh had been in Delhi recently, reportedly to meet leaders of the high command on the issue of power transition. “I cannot reveal everything about my private meetings. There was a luncheon and there will be a luncheon on Tuesday as well,” he said Monday. “The high command will take the appropriate decision at the right time,” he added.
Congress MLA Ajay Singh, who is an aspirant for a Cabinet position, indicated Monday that a decision on a reshuffle of Siddaramaiah’s cabinet could be made in February by the party high command. Siddaramaiah, however, responded, “Is he the high command?” to the MLA’s remarks.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara, another aspirant for the CM’s seat, meanwhile, said Tuesday that he was not invited to the breakfast meeting at the DCM’s house and that he would soon invite the CM and the DCM to a meal at his residence.
Like Russia-Ukraine talks, says BJP leader
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The opposition BJP has criticised the breakfast diplomacy in the Congress, with former minister B Sreeramulu equating it to the Russia-Ukraine talks, which can break down at any juncture.
“In Karnataka, this cabinet has only one active ministry, the Ministry of Breakfast, while the rest remain on a permanent fast. It’s high time CM & DCM stop the food tours and start the governance. Karnataka deserves better,” BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said on social media.
Siddaramaiah insisted that the power tussle between him and Shivakumar is a media creation and suggested that a visit of a bunch of MLAs allied to Shivakumar to Delhi on November 20 was actually an effort to seek cabinet positions in case of a reshuffle.
Power tussle between Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar
The tussle, which first surfaced after the Congress won the 2023 assembly polls under the combined leadership of the two leaders, has simmered below the surface for over two years and resurfaced on November 20, when the government completed 2.5 years and Shivakumar raised the ante again to be CM.
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“Ultimately, we will follow the high command’s decisions. Our meeting today on the high command’s orders is a settlement,” Siddaramaiah suggested regarding the power tussle.
Last week, in a sign of a possible decision to bide his time once again, the deputy CM Shivakumar said that he was not in a hurry to become the CM of Karnataka. “The party workers may be eager, but I am in no hurry. The party will take all the decisions,” Shivakumar said on the sidelines of an event.
Shivakumar has suggested that there is an unwritten agreement between him, Siddaramaiah and Congress leaders in Delhi for the sharing of power for 2.5 years each – when the government was formed in May 2023 after the Congress won 135 of 224 assembly seats in the Karnataka legislature. Siddaramaiah has rejected suggestions of an agreement.
The Congress party has a decision to make on the transition of power in Karnataka on account of Siddaramaiah turning 80 in 2028 and the party not being likely to project him as the CM candidate despite his stature as a mass leader who enjoys the support of OBCs, Dalits and minorities across the 224 constituencies in Karnataka.
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Shivakumar, who belongs to the dominant Vokkaliga community – which has traditionally allied with Janata Dal (Secular) of former PM H D Devegowda (now allied with the BJP), has a smaller support base restricted to southern Karnataka.
Shivakumar is keen to become the CM in early 2026 and present the state budget, Congress sources said. However, among his conditions for Siddaramaiah’s continuation as CM in 2026 is reportedly a block on Siddaramaiah’s efforts to carry out a cabinet reshuffle, which he has been pushing with AICC president Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.
The cabinet reshuffle, which is the prerogative of the CM, is seen by the DCM as a sign of Siddaramaiah’s continuation as CM beyond 2026, sources said.
Other conditions of the DCM are his continuance as the sole deputy CM and Karnataka Congress president, his continuation as the Bengaluru minister, where mega projects worth crores conceived under Shivakumar are in the pipeline, and the post of president of the state milk federation for his brother, Congress sources said.
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Siddaramaiah is eager to set a record for the longest tenure as Chief Minister of Karnataka in January 2026. He aims to surpass the previous record of 7 years and 10 months held by former Chief Minister Devaraj Urs, a prominent leader in OBC politics in the state.
Siddaramaiah is also keen on seeing through a caste survey and its implementation, which is the core issue of the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. He is also seen as the custodian of the Rs 54,000-crore guarantee schemes of the Congress, which helped the party come to power and has been implemented through the budgets presented by the CM since 2023.