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According to senior leaders, Congress president Kharge has asked both camps to remain patient and stop public messaging
For Siddaramaiah, the narrative that is being created by the faction supporting DK Shivakumar with their trips to Delhi is not only unnecessary but also damaging the image of the Congress government in Karnataka. (File pic/PTI)
A political churn is unmistakable in Karnataka, but Chief Minister Siddaramaiah insists the so-called “November revolution” is nothing more than a media invention. The BJP, however, claims the revolt is already out in the open, and the Congress high command now finds itself firefighting as factional rumblings grow louder.
Siddaramaiah has made his stand clear: his position is strong, he is here to stay, and both he and DK Shivakumar have to abide by the decision of the Congress high command. “My position has been strong from the beginning and will continue to remain so. After completing the five-year tenure, Congress will come to power again in 2028,” he said, dismissing speculation that the leadership issue was even up for debate.
For Siddaramaiah, the narrative that is being created by the faction supporting DK Shivakumar with their trips to Delhi is not only unnecessary but also damaging the image of the Congress government in Karnataka. This he communicated in as many words when he spoke to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge. He raised concerns that repeated talk of leadership change is hurting both the government’s image at the state level and the Congress party nationally. Siddaramaiah will meet Kharge during his two-day tour of the state. Top Congress sources say Kharge has assured him that he will assess the situation and sort it out.
Whether the Congress can quell the fire or whether the BJP’s “November revolution” narrative will gain traction is now in the hands of the party command in Delhi—even as both power centres in Karnataka continue their battle for influence under the surface.
BJP’s ‘November Revolution’ salvo
For the BJP, the Congress infighting is ammunition. MLAs rushing to Delhi, lobbying for a change of guard, talk of DK Shivakumar’s turn coming up—all of it fits the BJP’s narrative that the Congress government will not last beyond November. Ashok sharpened the attack further, alleging the government is in disarray, the state is seeing “no law and order,” and Bengaluru has “become a robbery city”.
Karnataka Leader of Opposition R Ashok has positioned the Congress crisis as an unfolding political drama that he says the BJP had long predicted. Speaking to News18, Ashok said, “Can’t you see? The November revolution in the Congress has already started. Missiles are being fired from every corner. There is firing from every corner.”
He cited the recent daylight heist of Rs 7 crore as evidence of collapse and took a direct swipe at both leaders. “Two and a half years have gone by, and both Siddaramaiah and DK have failed. DK is at home on IV drips; Sidda is calling MLAs and threatening to remove them from cabinet posts and stop their MLA funds—according to media reports. The Congress house is in a Thota mess,” he said.
Inside the Congress: Two Power Centres, One High Command
What has triggered this fresh churn is the two-and-a-half-year mark of the government and the claim of DK Shivakumar’s supporters that they will take a delegation of 15 members and head to Delhi to meet Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. They are yet to get an appointment. As it was indicated internally in the Congress that a cabinet reshuffle might be in the cards, this opened the floodgates for speculation that the leadership question would also be revisited.
A group of MLAs aligned with Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar have gone to Delhi to push the high command to honour what they claim was the “unwritten promise” of eventually making him CM. His supporters argue it is now time.
But Siddaramaiah’s camp is making its own counter-message clear—that a majority of legislators, ministers, and organisational heavyweights remain with the Chief Minister. Insiders say the Siddaramaiah faction believes that if he is allowed to carry out a reshuffle and pick ministers of his choice, that alone would send a signal that he will remain Chief Minister for the full term.
Siddaramaiah himself was blunt on the matter when asked about MLAs heading to Delhi: “The high command does the cabinet reshuffle. Did they say anything? Everyone should only listen to the high command. DK Shivakumar, I, and everyone must follow their decision.”
He reiterated that he will present the next Budget and that nothing has changed.
Publicly, Deputy CM Shivakumar has taken a conciliatory tone, insisting there is no factionalism under his watch.
“I have never been a leader indulging in groupism. All 140 MLAs are my MLAs. We will follow what the high command says,” said Shivakumar, claiming he did not know who the MLAs were who said they would take a delegation to Delhi.
“The Chief Minister and I have said we are committed to the high command’s decision. Even now, we remain committed to that. The Chief Minister has said he will reshuffle the Cabinet. So, ministerial aspirants have taken the Delhi trip,” explained Shivakumar.
He stated that the cabinet reshuffle talk was what triggered these trips. Shivakumar has publicly wished Siddaramaiah “all the best” to complete five years and said he will work with him.
“Our Chief Minister has always expressed his line of thinking. I am not going to comment on that,” he said. “For the last two and a half years, there have been many dinner meetings—about four deputy chief ministers, inducting new ministers, changing the KPCC president. This is nothing new.”
High Command to Step In?
With tempers rising on both sides, Kharge is expected to step in. According to senior leaders, the Congress president has asked both camps to remain patient and stop public messaging that could damage the government.
Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said that he had spoken to both the Karnataka Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister amid the escalating political chatter in the state. According to him, they were in complete agreement that the current narrative was being engineered from outside the party.
“They agreed that a decisively defeated and faction-ridden Karnataka BJP, along with a section of the media, is designedly running a maligning campaign against Karnataka and its Congress government,” Surjewala said.
He added that the intention behind this campaign was clear. “The sole idea is to undermine the stellar achievements and the five Congress government guarantees, which have become an outstanding model of inclusive development and distributive justice.”
“The needless statements of some Congress leaders and MLAs have also added to the speculation,” he said, adding that the party had issued a strict warning. “INC has sternly cautioned them against making any public statements on the issue of leadership or falling for the agenda being propagated by vested interests.”
He said the party’s top leadership had also taken note of the views expressed by various functionaries, and that the matter was being handled at the highest level.
Siddaramaiah’s direct conversation with Kharge on the party’s image has added urgency. For now, Siddaramaiah has placed the leadership question squarely in the hands of the central leadership: “The high command has not said anything till now. Everyone must follow what they decide—be it me or DK Shivakumar,” said an unshaken Siddaramaiah when asked about the demand for a change in guard.
Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor at News18, has been a journalist for nearly two decades in the television and digital space. She covers south India for News18’s digital platform. She has previously worked with t…Read More
Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor at News18, has been a journalist for nearly two decades in the television and digital space. She covers south India for News18’s digital platform. She has previously worked with t… Read More
November 22, 2025, 07:30 IST
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