Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar having a word with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at the Mysuru airport on Tuesday.
Credit: Special Arrangement
Adding to speculation over the power tussle in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday posed a cryptic post on social media platform 'X'.
In a post in Kannada, attached with his own picture, Shivakumar said, "Even if the effort fails, the prayer does not fail".
This came a day after his short meeting with senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi along with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on a runway in Mysuru.
While Gandhi spoke with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar separately for a few minutes, he also met them together for a couple of minutes.
About the meeting, a Congress leader said Siddaramaiah talked about his views on the preparation for the upcoming Budget and the need for a Cabinet reshuffle.
The leader added that Shivakumar could have raised the issue about the government completing two-and-half years and the claimed promise of making him the Chief Minister.
However, Siddaramaiah denied any political discussion with Gandhi on Tuesday.
Asked about a possible leadership change, Siddaramaiah said it was just media speculation. "There's no such issue within the party," he said, but added that he would go by whatever the high command decided.
Kharge's statement adds fuel speculations
Amid the ongoing power tussle within the ruling party in Karnataka, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar would be called to Delhi for discussions "whenever necessary".
Kharge said, "Whenever necessary, the party would call them," in response to a question from reporters on when the Chief Minister and his deputy would be summoned to Delhi for talks.
The leadership tussle in the Congress has been at the centre stage amid speculation about a possible change of Chief Minister after the State government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, 2025.
The speculation has been fuelled by the reported "power-sharing" arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar at the time of the government’s formation in 2023.