New Delhi: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D.K. Shivakumar may have bought some time from the Congress high command to resolve their differences, but another watch appears to be ticking trouble for the two senior party leaders.
Both were seen wearing similar watches, which television news channel NDTV identified as the Santos de Cartier model, estimated at over Rs 43 lakh, when they shook hands as a show of unity after their second breakfast meeting Tuesday.
The ‘yellow-gold’ watches glittered with every flash of media cameras, giving the opposition fresh ammunition to attack the ruling party.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday used the watches to target the state government.
“Siddaramaiah’s watches cost crores of rupees, and he also wears shoes worth lakhs. Earlier, I had found out that he had eight such watches, but now it is anywhere between 18 and 19. You (Siddaramaiah) can keep any number of them as it is your money, but where have you declared it?” Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Legislative Council, told reporters.
The Opposition also targeted Shivakumar, who earlier claimed he bought the Cartier watch seven years ago in Australia for about Rs 27 lakh. It even asked if the watch was “stolen property”.
Shivakumar told reporters Wednesday that this watch was bought with his credit card and that he had declared it in his election affidavit.
The BJP pulled up his affidavit to show it only listed two watches–a Rs 9 lakh Rolex Rs 9 lakh and a nearly Rs 24 lakh Hublot–but did not mention the Cartier he wore on Tuesday.
Shivakumar rejected the allegations.
“What do they (BJP) know about my affidavit? I know that I have used my money, my credit card. I have been transparent. I have declared my Rolex and Cartier watches. I don’t have to listen to what Narayanswamy says,” he told reporters.
Shivakumar then mocked the LoP’s statement that the watch was “stolen” from Narayanaswamy’s home itself.
This is not the first time the two leaders have been in the eye of a storm over their personal wealth.
Shivakumar has been more forthright about his wealth than Siddaramaiah. He often says, “By birth I am an agriculturist; by profession I am a businessman. By choice, I am an educationist; by passion, I am a politician.”
in contrast, Siddaramaiah has kept a relatively low-profile and rarely missed an opportunity to share the hardships he endured growing up. But critics have often questioned his self-declared socialist credentials because of his indulgence in luxury.
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‘Majawadi, not Samajwadi…”
According to a report by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), Siddarmaiah is the third richest CM in India.
He has declared assets worth Rs 51 crore, with Rs 21 crore declared as movable assets and Rs 30 crore as immovable assets, according to the August 2025 ADR report.
Shivakumar is India’s second-richest MLA, with declared assets of around Rs 1,413 crore.
Karnataka has the highest number of billionaire lawmakers, with 31 MLAs who have declared assets above Rs 100 crore. The total assets of MLAs stand at Rs 14,179 crore. Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra occupy the next two rankings in the ADR list.
The Opposition alleged that the Karnataka government was facilitating corruption and earning crores in unaccounted money.
“When allegations of the Valmiki Development Corporation scam, MUDA scam, 63 percent commission, etc., surfaced, we had asked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to appear as a witness. No matter which state election takes place, Karnataka becomes the ATM. Around Rs 300 crore has been transferred for the Bihar elections,” R. Ashoka, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, said Thursday.
Narayanaswamy called Siddaramaiah a “Majawadi” and not a “Samajwadi”, implying that he was a person who indulges in luxury and was not a socialist.
In 2016, Siddaramaiah faced a similar controversy when the Opposition cornered him over his Hublot watch.
The diamond-studded Hublot was estimated to cost anywhere between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 60 lakh, and the Opposition accused Siddaramaiah of “acting like the voice of the poor but himself indulging in a lavish lifestyle”.
Siddaramaiah then claimed the Hublot watch was a second-hand gift from his friend and Dubai-based cardiac surgeon, Dr Girish Chandra Varma.
He said its value had been overestimated, but then caved into pressure and “donated” the watch to the state coffers. He has also been seen in a Rado watch, which he said was a gift from his wife, Parvathi.
Watches are not the only luxury items that have landed Siddaramaiah in trouble.
He was earlier driven around in a Toyota Land Cruiser, which he claimed was given by his cabinet colleague, K.J. George. He then started to travel in a Mercedes GLS, which his office said was lent to him by another cabinet colleague, Byrathi Suresh.
His predecessors are no different. In 2021, B.S. Yediyurappa purchased a Rs 1.20 crore Toyota Vellfire while his predecessor, H.D. Kumaraswamy, is often seen in his black Range Rover.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
Also Read: Defiant CMs, unceremonious ousters—Siddaramaiah vs DKS bout is a familiar tale in Karnataka politics