Karnataka Power Tussle on Hold: Congress Prioritizes Parliament Strategy

New Delhi : The much-anticipated discussion on Karnataka’s ongoing power tussle within the Congress did not take place during the high-level meeting held at Sonia Gandhi’s residence in New Delhi on Sunday evening.

Senior leaders had expected that the conflict between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar would feature prominently, but the meeting remained confined to planning the Opposition’s strategy for the Parliament session beginning Monday.

The meeting, attended by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, and AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal, was expected to touch upon the intensifying internal rift within the Karnataka Congress. However, sources confirmed that no major discussion on state politics or the leadership dispute took place.

This comes shortly after the Congress high command intervened by arranging a breakfast meeting between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in Bengaluru. The meeting was aimed at projecting unity after weeks of political heat surrounding power-sharing rumours and disagreements.

Following the meeting, both leaders addressed a joint press conference and assured the high command that they would avoid public friction and work cohesively. Given this temporary truce, the high command is believed to have paused discussions on Karnataka’s internal issues until the upcoming Belagavi Legislature Session concludes.

Party insiders say the central leadership wants to maintain stability and avoid fresh controversies during the Parliament session. According to sources familiar with Sunday’s meeting, Kharge reportedly briefed Sonia Gandhi about the state situation after the Lok Sabha strategy discussions concluded.

He is said to have informed her that the breakfast meeting had helped defuse tensions for now. Sonia Gandhi is believed to have responded by assuring that the central leadership would address Karnataka’s issues at an appropriate time.

Thus, the Congress leadership has effectively placed the state-level power tussle on temporary hold, sending a clear signal that national-level priorities will take precedence during the crucial Parliament session.

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