The meeting comes just days after Shivakumar met Congress MLAs Vinay Kulkarni and Veerendra Pappi who are currently lodged as undertrial prisoners. The meeting comes at a time speculations, albeit rubbished by Congress leaders, about change of CMs are making the rounds.
Published Nov 26, 2025 | 11:31 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 26, 2025 | 11:31 PM
Shivakumar insisted they had only discussed the party’s strategy to return to power in 2028.
Synopsis: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s late-night meeting with Minister Satish Jarkiholi on Tuesday has reignited curiosity over political developments in Karnataka. Jarkiholi, a Scheduled Tribe leader, is a close aide of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Dismissing speculations of leadership change, both leaders said they had spoken only about party organisation and preparations for the 2028 elections, and rejected talk of factionalism.
A late-night meeting between Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Public Works Department Minister Satish Jarkiholi on Tuesday, 25 November has roused curiosity over political developments in the state. The meeting is being seen as an attempt by DK Shivakumar, who is also the President of the Karnataka state Congress unit, to iron out differences and built consensus.
The meeting, which comes just days after Shivakumar met Congress MLAs Vinay Kulkarni and Veerendra Pappi, who are currently lodged as undertrial prisoners, is being seen as particularly significant since Jarkiholi is a close aide of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Satish Jarkiholi is among the several names being floated by sections of Congress in Karnataka as the next potential chief minister in a post-Siddaramaiah era.
But Shivakumar insisted they had only discussed the party’s strategy to return to power in 2028.
“Satish Jarkiholi is a senior leader of the party. I am the President of KPCC and he is the Working President. We share a very cordial relationship and work together. He is a big asset to the party and we will continue to work together in the future,” Shivakumar told reporters at the KPCC office in Bengaluru.
“It has been two and a half years since we assumed office. We discussed what needed to be done in the remaining two and a half years. There was nothing more to the discussion.”
With the Congress government completing half of its five-year term on 20 November, speculation has been rife about a “November revolution” and a change of guard, even though several senior party leaders have ruled out any such move.
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have continued to say that any decision on a possible leadership change in the state will be taken only by the high command.
Despite this, the media buzz intensified after several party MLAs, reportedly loyal to Shivakumar, camped in Delhi last week. The DCM insisted that the MLAs were making a case for themselves to be considered for cabinet berths.
Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah’s supporters, including his son Dr Yathindra, have been promoting Satish Jarkiholi as potential candidate to succeed the Chief Minister. Other sections of the Congress have been lobbying for MB Patil and G Parameshwara for the top post.
Shivakumar, however, dismissed speculation of factionalism in the party.
“I don’t have any faction. There is only one faction and that is Congress faction. I am not the only one who has worked for the party, it is built on collective leadership. We discussed how to take it forward,” he said.
Jarkiholi on Wednesday also clarified the late-night meeting with Shivakumar.
“This is not the first time we have met. The Party President and I have met several times… We’ve met at the party office; we’ve met at his house,” he said, adding that the meeting was routine and there was nothing special about it.
The minister stressed the need to for the party to remain united. “The decision on making someone Chief Minister has to be taken by the High Command,” he said.
He also concurred with Shivakumar on what was discussed at the meeting, saying it was party organisation and the upcoming elections. He said he may meet Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, for which he has sought time, and that he will share his opinions with him.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
