Karnataka politics seems to be undergoing a churn with leadership tussles in two national parties emerging prominently in public discourse. If the tussle in the ruling Congress over the last few months has taken the focus away from governance issues to the so-called “secret understanding” over the sharing of power, the fractured State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is losing out on opportunities to corner the Congress both on governance and political issues.
In the Congress, a recent breakfast meeting in Bengaluru between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who is also the president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, was believed to have brought temporary truce between them and their factions ahead of the ongoing winter session of the Assembly at Belagavi. The conversation on the yet-to-be-publicly-acknowledged power-sharing agreement between the two leaders, and public statements by their followers, had threatened to embarrass the party and provide fodder to the BJP attack the government during the session.
However, the fragile understanding arrived at during the breakfast meeting, after a nudge from the party’s high command, gave way at the very start of the session. MLC Yathindra Siddharamaiah, who is the son of the Chief Minister, rekindled the issue by stating his “personal view” that his father would head the government for the full term, spawning a series of reactions.
While both Mr. Siddharamaiah and Mr. Shivakumar have deferred the leadership decision to the high command, several party leaders are keen on an early resolution, so the party can move forward. Ambitious second-rung leaders are also quietly making their moves to further their political careers. Some have even said that they are anxious that the government’s image is taking a beating because of the unresolved leadership issue and may impact the next Assembly elections — still two and a half years away. The constant chatter about whether or not there will be a Cabinet reshuffle or expansion — with the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister camps divided on the issue — is only adding to the atmosphere of confusion.
Amid the unending debate on leadership, the government is accused of falling short in carrying out developmental work. It is also facing the burden of spending about ₹60,000 crore annually to implement the Congress’s five flagship guarantee schemes. Despite these issues, the BJP’s ability to put the government on the mat is dented due to the friction in the party over B.Y. Vijayendra’s leadership in the State unit. A section of BJP legislators and leaders have been opposed to the elevation of Mr. Vijayendra, son of Lingayat strongman and former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, as the State BJP president. Senior lawmaker Basannagouda Patil Yatnal has been expelled from the BJP for repeatedly expressing in public his views against the party chief, but Mr. Vijayendra has more detractors within the party. With a new BJP president, Nitin Nabin, set to take office at the national level, the party is hoping for an early end to dissidence.
In the legislature in the ongoing Belagavi session, the BJP also appears to lack the teeth to attack the Congress. The Congress top leadership has been in the Assembly for over three decades and the party also has a large number of second-rung leaders. On the other hand, the saffron party’s senior leadership has limited presence in the legislature. For example, two former Chief Ministers from the party — Jagadish Shettar and Basavaraj Bommai — are now in Parliament. Only a few leaders are capable of holding fort in the Assembly.
Meanwhile, the BJP’s National Democratic Alliance ally, Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)], the regional party that celebrated its silver jubilee this year, is looking to elevate Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, in the party’s hierarchy. As the JD(S) fights to hold on to its turf, Mr. Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s father is for the most part tied up in New Delhi as a Central Minister.
The party has recently recast its committees, but is holding back on announcing the State president. There are reasons for this: G.T. Deve Gowda, a senior Vokkaliga leader who has a sizeable following in the Old Mysore district, is now ignored and a few other legislators too are believed to be unhappy in the party. The JD(S) appears to providing the family’s scion, who has faced three electoral defeats, a chance to cut his teeth in politics.
Published – December 17, 2025 01:01 am IST
