Rahul Weighs Karnataka Leadership Amid DK Shivakumar Push
Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, LoP Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah!(Images X.com)
Congress Faces Crucial Decision on Future Leadership as Pressure Mounts to Replace Siddaramaiah with Younger Face
By AMIT KUMAR
NEW DELHI, June 30, 2025 – With the Congress government in Karnataka nearing the halfway mark of its term, the party’s top leadership faces a crucial decision: will it be bold enough to hand over the reins to Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar?
The Congress high command is expected to soon decide on the leadership transition in Karnataka, with increasing pressure to project a younger, long-term face ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. Party leader Rahul Gandhi had earlier projected a sense of balance and continuity in a widely circulated group photograph featuring incumbent Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. However, senior leaders caution against repeating the Rajasthan mistake—where sidelining Sachin Pilot led to prolonged discontent within the ranks.
“The Congress must make a forward-looking choice. The ageing leadership has served its purpose. It’s time to empower someone with at least two decades of political life ahead,” said a senior party functionary from Bengaluru.
Comparisons with the BJP have intensified within Congress circles. “The BJP has set a precedent by choosing chief ministers under 60. The Congress must follow suit,” said another senior leader, underscoring the urgency for generational change.
The leadership in Delhi is reportedly frustrated with regional heavyweights after recent electoral setbacks, including in Haryana. “Rahul Gandhi may make a decisive move to shake off the party’s image as status quoist,” another insider noted.
Meanwhile, other aspirants are also in play. Karnataka Minister MB Patil, from the influential Lingayat community, is said to harbour chief ministerial ambitions. Shivakumar represents the powerful Vokkaliga community, while Siddaramaiah, from the Kuruba community, remains the party’s prominent OBC face. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, himself a Karnataka native, has so far refrained from taking a public position on the matter.
“The BJP in Karnataka is in disarray. If the Congress wants to capitalise on the situation, it must act swiftly and decisively,” said a Congress functionary based in Bengaluru.
Shivakumar, who also serves as the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president, is widely regarded as a master strategist and a key figure in keeping the BJP at bay. Party insiders believe he could be instrumental in securing a second term for Congress in 2026—if given the leadership mantle in time.
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