Karnataka: As rivals gang up, is DK Shivakumar losing his grip?

Karnataka’s high-profile Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, the state’s most powerful leader after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, is finding the going tough in the political arena, raising many eyebrows.

The influential politician built his influence through an astute electoral strategy that dealt major blows to political foes, securing for himself the vital backing of the Congress high command.

However, rising internal resistance and political missteps are now seen as weakening Shivakumar’s grip on power.

Shivakumar’s strengths

Shivakumar’s political ascent was fuelled by his ability to mobilize resources and act as the Congress trouble-shooter, particularly during the 2018 political crisis when he safeguarded party MLAs from the Bharatiya Janata Party’s poaching attempts.

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He also positioned himself as the Vokkaliga face of the Congress, thus weakening former prime minister and Janata Dal (Secular) founder HD Deve Gowda’s hold in the Old Mysore region. Shivakumar’s unwavering loyalty to the Gandhi family earned him their trust, while his strategic planning in elections made him an indispensable force in Karnataka politics.

Key post in government

All these made him a natural contender for the chief minister’s post in Karnataka when it stormed to power in 2023, ending five years of rule by the BJP.

Although he was eventually sidelined in favour of the veteran Siddaramaiah, he secured the deputy chief minister’s position and key ministries, ensuring substantial influence in governance. Despite his rise, Shivakumar’s grip on power is loosening due to a combination of internal resistance and political missteps. His ambition to replace Siddaramaiah as the chief minister has also created friction in the Congress party.

Siddaramaiah versus Shivakumar

The more experienced Siddaramaiah’s mass appeal and strong support from SC, ST, OBC, and minority communities have made it difficult for Shivakumar to gain wider acceptance.

Senior Congress leaders -- including those from the SC, ST, OBC and even his Shivakumar’s Vokkaliga communities -- are pushing back against his aggressive tactics, fearing they serve his personal ambitions rather than the party interests. Despite demands for two more deputy chief ministers to represent Lingayats and SC/STs, Shivakumar has retained his position as the sole deputy chief minister.

Siddaramaiah consolidates

Although Siddaramaiah controls the government with more than 80 MLAs, Shivakumar leveraged the party High Command ties to maintain power.

When the Congress handed over the chief minister’s baton to Siddaramaiah, it is believed he was to serve for 2.5 years, with another 2.5 years going to Shivakumar.

However, ministers and leaders from Siddaramaiah’s camp repeatedly raised demands for Siddaramaiah to be the chief minister all through the five-year term.

Rival Congress factions

This forced a frustrated Shivakumar to push his claim through the party leadership.

This led to statements and counter-statements from the rival camps, said a cabinet minister who is keeping distance from both factions in the Congress.

Shivakumar has also faced several major allegations, including from his rivals within the Congress who suspected him of being responsible for the exposure of the Mysuru MUDA scam involving allegedly illegal land deals.

Shivakumar to blame?

Although he denied this multiple times, the party’s inner circles remain sceptical.

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The MUDA scam caused severe embarrassment for Siddaramaiah after the governor granted sanction to file a case against him -- his first-ever major case in his political career.

It was said then that this situation led the Congress to consider replacing Siddaramaiah.

Honeytrap allegation

After the chief minister entered a legal battle over the case and slowly began to emerge from it, one of his staunch supporters faced the heat of a honey trap scandal.

Siddaramaiah’s close aide and minister KN Rajanna openly stated that there was an attempt to honey-trap him. Reports suggested that the group behind it was responsible for at least 48 such incidents. This situation led some party leaders to suspect Shivakumar's role.

“They will say hello only if you say hello,” he remarked in response to media queries, as both the BJP and some Congress leaders tried to link him to the scandal.

Jarkiholi saga

The atmosphere in Karnataka Congress turned uncertain, with party workers and leaders beginning to question his position, an office-bearer of the Karnataka Congress told The Federal. Another key aspect of the controversy is Ramesh Jarkiholi, who was previously caught in a honey trap. After his videos were leaked on social media, he quit as a minister from the former BJP government.

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Jarkiholi, who played a crucial role in toppling the Congress-JD(S) coalition in 2019, was known to have a strong rivalry with DKS. After his setback, he blamed Shivakumar for his troubles.

Kumaraswamy’s accusations

Interestingly, the same team arrested for honey-trapping Jarkiholi was reportedly behind the attempted honey trap of minister Rajanna. This further fuelled suspicions within the Congress regarding Shivakumar’s role. Additionally, JD(S) leader and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy accused Shivakumar of orchestrating the downfall of Prajwal Revanna, then an MP from Hassan and a grandson of HD Deve Gowda.

The Deve Gowda family and the Shivakumar brothers have been arch-rivals, personally and politically.

Shivakumar’s Constitution row

The arrest of Kannada actor Ranya Rao for alleged gold smuggling has also pointed to the involvement of two politicians, including an SC leader who is said to be from Siddaramaiah’s camp.

There is suspicion that a senior leader in the Congress may have played a role in exposing the scam by tipping off the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence about Ranya’s activities.

Now, a blazing controversy has emerged over Shivakumar’s statement on changingthe Constitution to provide a 4 per cent reservation for Muslims.

Ganging up against DKS

This remark had a massive impact at the national level, embarrassing Congress leaders.

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The Congress has long accused the BJP of being "anti-Constitution". Shivakumar’s statement has, therefore, created significant trouble for the party. Now, political opponents across the spectrum in Karnataka appear to be uniting against Shivakumar.

Rivals joining hands?

On Wednesday, minister Satish Jarkiholi met HD Deve Gowda to raise concerns about Shivakumar. Additionally, G Parameshwara’s recent meeting with HD Kumaraswamy also rattled Shivakumar. Both Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy – father and son – are now allied to the BJP.

Notably, both Parameshwara and Jarkiholi belong to the Siddaramaiah camp, making these developments even more significant.