The penultimate month of 2025 has begun in an unexpectedly turbulent manner in Karnataka. After all, the struggle for the pinnacle of power in the south-western state of India –the CM post – had been set in motion right from the day Congress assumed power in May 2023. While it is still unclear whether it had the backing of the high command or not, it seemed like there was an undeclared agreement between the top two leaders – Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar – that the two would trade places at the midpoint of the five-year government, which happens to be this month.

As the deadline drew near, the pulls and pressures from both lobbies started impacting the political atmosphere in the state for some weeks now. While the CM, who has survived similar power struggles throughout his long career, emphatically denied existence of any such power-sharing arrangement and asserted that he would last the full term, the Deputy CM, also the state unit chief, was not openly contradicting it yet had enough backers within the state Congress unit and government to raise a call in his favour. After having joined the Congress nearly 20 years back, Siddaramaiah has proved to be more useful and effective to the New Delhi power lobby.

His smart usage of the potent minority and backward caste cards have kept his detractors a little wary of what his next moves could be and presumably, a better candidate for remaining at the top of the helm. In contrast, a life-long Congressman, Shivakumar, has been feted for his crisis management dexterity and ability to raise funds for various political wheeling-dealing in States where Congress is in power. Yet, he has been deprived of the CM chair as he doesn’t have the aggregating influence of his arch-rival, who has survived vicious criticism from Opposition parties who have targeted him for his appeasement and conciliatory politics with caste groups and a defiant anti-Hindutva streak in most of his actions.

Shivakumar has also not earned much appreciation for his ‘friendly’ attitude with the Opposition (read BJP) which has added to the former’s problems by extending a welcoming approach if ever he decides to switch sides. That may not happen as DKS, as he is popularly known, has exhibited unflinching loyalty to the GOP high command and is unlikely to do something catastrophic as joining hands with his political foes.

Yet, vested interests on both sides keep loading the media with their sensational observations, the latest being that of Yathindra, son of the incumbent CM, who had predicted that his father may not be seen in active politics for long and speculated that a minister from Belagavi may be his replacement. Divided that the Congress party is in the state, no one is now bothered to cover themselves with ambivalent statements or comments and freely express their opinions about whom they want as the next CM, provided the ‘November revolution’ takes effect.

Bengaluru is awash with speculation and intense rumours on the power struggle drama once again as it has been in the past month or so. Bihar election results are awaited by Congress, which senses that they may be in with a chance to dislodge NDA and silence dissent in party units by announcing cabinet reshuffles or appeasing rebels with a post or two. The battle has just taken a pause, but it has not come to a grinding halt, for sure.