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In a remark packed with political innuendo, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has stirred the pot yet again, fuelling speculation over an alleged power-sharing deal with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Speaking at the Kempegowda Jayanti event, Shivakumar said with a grin, “We are fighting for the chair… there are chairs here, please come and sit. It’s not easy to get the chair. So once you get it, you must grab it.”

Though delivered with humour and met with laughter from the audience, the comments have reignited whispers of an internal tussle for the chief minister’s post within the ruling Congress party in Karnataka.

Karnataka Congress power tussle back in buzz!

While CM Siddaramaiah dismisses any talk of leadership change or 50:50 formula, DCM DK Shivakumar drops a loaded line at Kempegowda Jayanti event:

“We are fighting for the chair… there are chairs here, please come and sit. It’s not… pic.twitter.com/8MuljsVhZF

— Pinky Rajpurohit 🇮🇳 (@Madrassan_Pinky) July 12, 2025

The timing of the remark is notable. It comes just days after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met Congress national general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala in Delhi. Following the meeting, Siddaramaiah firmly dismissed rumours of any leadership change, calling such speculation baseless. Meanwhile, Shivakumar, who also returned from Delhi consultations, remained tight-lipped, saying, “The CM has already clarified the High Command’s stand.”

Despite attempts by both leaders to downplay tensions, rumours of a 50:50 power-sharing formula between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have persisted since the Congress assumed office in May 2023. The agreement, if it exists, has never been officially acknowledged by the party, but Shivakumar’s recurring references to “chairs” and leadership battles have kept the conversation alive.