The Aryavarth Express
Haveri (Karnataka): Former Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai on Friday hinted that a “dark horse” could emerge in the race for Karnataka’s next Chief Minister as tensions escalate between CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar.
Bommai said both leaders are refusing to compromise due to “egoistic attitudes,” which he claims has forced the Congress high command to consider alternate leadership options.
“CM and Deputy CM both are in a very egoistic attitude. They are not ready to budge an inch. Therefore, the high command is compelled to think of the other alternative. So in this context, a dark horse might emerge in the state,” he said.
Power struggle intensifies in Congress
The rivalry between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar has sharpened since the Congress government crossed the halfway mark of its five-year tenure on November 20. The two leaders have been posting veiled messages on social media, reflecting the growing friction:
Siddaramaiah: “A word is not power unless it betters the world.”
DK Shivakumar: “Word power is world power.”
Siddaramaiah maintains that he will complete the full five-year term based on the mandate given by the people and is focused on fulfilling the five guarantee schemes. Shivakumar, however, insists there was a “secret agreement” that he would take over as Chief Minister after 2.5 years.
High command to decide
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is expected to take a final call. Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have publicly said they will accept the party’s decision, though their supporters continue lobbying intensely within the party.
The power-sharing understanding reached in 2023 is seen as the root of the current turbulence, with each faction pushing its leadership claim more aggressively as the mid-term mark passes.
BJP takes a dig
Earlier in the day, the Karnataka BJP mocked the Congress situation, saying the turmoil is a direct fallout of the power-sharing formula. The party argued that if no such arrangement had been made, the current crisis over leadership transition would not have arisen.
As the stalemate deepens, speculation is growing over whether the Congress high command will endorse one of the two leaders—or bring in a “dark horse,” as Bommai suggested, to defuse the internal conflict.
