DK Shivakumar doesn't have enough numbers behind him to press for a change in leadership; nor does he have enough clout in his community to put pressure on the Congress high command.
Published Nov 22, 2025 | 5:51 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 22, 2025 | 6:03 PM
Talk of a potential power-sharing arrangement between Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah dates back to the aftermath of the 2023 Assembly elections.
Synopsis: DKS’s clout within his own community–Vokkaligas—is doubtful. His brother lost the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Bengaluru rural, a constituency dominated by Vokkaligas and minorities. The Lok Sabha election also showed that DKS, as a community leader, couldn’t consolidate Vokkaliga votes in favour of the party.
Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar does not wish to be a Sachin Pilot, the Congress leader from Rajasthan.
At least that is what he has been apparently saying to senior Congress leaders during private conversations amid the constant buzz about a leadership tussle in the ruling Congress in Karnataka.
Since this could be Shivakumar’s thinking, wishful or otherwise, could he be another Himanta Biswa Sarma of Assam, who switched from Congress to BJP to become the chief minister?
Sachin Pilot.
Whether he likes it or not, Shivakumar does not seem to have many options, except perhaps keeping himself relevant till his time comes, instead of losing the plot like Sachin Pilot. But no one knows when the time would come, notwithstanding the BJP-inspired speculation in mainstream media yet again about leadership change in Karnataka.
Sachin Pilot was the deputy chief minister of Rajasthan from 2018 to 2020, until his open battle with the then-chief minister, Ashok Gehlot, cost him his job and the limelight.
Two aspects seem to be missing everyone’s attention while indulging in pure speculation that the incumbent Chief Minister Siddaramaiah could be replaced, since the Congress has completed two and a half years in office.
First, Siddaramaiah remains the one and only mass leader in Congress. Second, Shivakumar was placated at the time of government formation in 2023 that his wish to claim the top post would be considered at an appropriate time, but there was no express commitment that the five-year tenure would be split between Siddaramaiah and him.
When Shivakumar says he does not intend to be another Sachin Pilot, the best he can do is to keep up the pressure and hope that Siddaramaiah will give way someday. It is rather doubtful if the Congress leadership could ever push him out. It could be hoped that he would leave on his own accord.
Multiple factors are weighing against Shivakumar even now. In the 224-member Assembly, Congress has the support of 138 MLAs, including two independents and one belonging to the Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha. The number excludes Speaker UT Khader.
The NDA has 81 MLAs, 62 from the BJP, 18 from JD(S) and G Janardhana Reddy, who has pledged allegiance to the BJP. Three MLAs of the NDA are now “unattached MLAs” after being suspended or expelled from their respective parties. One seat remains vacant in the house following the death of Congress MLA HY Meti.
It is common knowledge that DKS, as Shivakumar is known, commands the support of only a dozen legislators. At least 80 legislators are solidly behind Siddaramaiah, while the rest are loyalists of other senior leaders or neutrals who will abide by the high command.
Numbers apart, Siddaramaiah is the only Congress leader who enjoys the support of the Backward Classes (BCs), minorities, and Dalits, which coalesced into his AHINDA grouping. Can Congress even consider replacing the only BC chief minister it has while championing the cause of BCs across the nation is the million-dollar question.
On the other hand, DKS’s clout within his own community–Vokkaligas—is doubtful. His brother lost the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Bengaluru rural, a constituency dominated by Vokkaligas and minorities. The Lok Sabha election also showed that DKS, as a community leader, couldn’t consolidate Vokkaliga votes in favour of the party.
Charges of corruption apart, it is also a fact that Siddaramaiah has managed the state finances reasonably well in the current term despite inadequate support from the Centre. Party cadres who worked hard during elections have been suitably rewarded, and as a result, there are hardly any discordant notes at the cadre level. As KPCC chief, DKS was instrumental in appointing party workers to several government and semi-government set-ups.
It is not as if DKS is so naïve as not to understand the realities. He could well be sulking, but shifting to the BJP, like Himanta Sarma, is not an easy option for him. One, he has to swallow the harassment meted out to his daughter and mother at the hands of central agencies. Two, mustering the numbers appears to be beyond him, at least for now.
Himanta Biswa Sarma.
It is also a fact that JD(S) supremo and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda will do everything possible to block DKS’s entry to the BJP. Both DKS and Deve Gowda belong to the Vokkaliga community, and the veteran would not like an alternative face to emerge, given that JD(S) is now part of the NDA.
Congress leaders are also speculating about AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge emerging as the consensus candidate if the Gandhi family decides to replace Siddaramaiah. While he could be acceptable to both Siddaramaiah and DKS camps, the Congress can ill afford to have a Dalit as chief minister, ignoring other caste groups such as OBCs, who stood by the party.
Kharge’s advanced age and illness in the recent period could also work against him, though it could be a fulfilment of his long-pending wish to become the chief minister of the state one day.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
