The rivalry between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy, D.K. Shivakumar, over who should hold Karnataka’s top post resurfaced on Friday—an internal conflict the Congress can ill afford after a string of election disappointments.

Speaking at an event in Bengaluru, Shivakumar subtly reignited the debate by recalling Sonia Gandhi’s decision to forgo the Prime Minister’s post in 2004. After the UPA’s Lok Sabha victory that year, he said, Sonia Gandhi passed on the opportunity and instead backed Manmohan Singh—a seasoned economist and former RBI Governor and Union Finance Minister—because she believed he could steer the country forward.

“Sonia Gandhi led the Congress for two decades. She gave up power… President Abdul Kalam invited her to become Prime Minister, but she declined and proposed Dr. Manmohan Singh as someone who could take India ahead,” Shivakumar said.

Amid this pointed reminder, he also slipped in a more conciliatory line, urging voters to support the Congress administration under Siddaramaiah and to “bless us again in 2028”.

Shivakumar, widely credited with crafting the party’s 2023 victory in Karnataka, has consistently oscillated between sending sharp messages about the chief ministership and rallying the party’s workers to prepare for the next election. But his invocation of Sonia Gandhi’s “sacrifice” stood out unmistakably.

His loyalists have repeatedly pressed for Siddaramaiah to step aside, insisting that a post-election understanding from 2023—one that supposedly split the five-year term into two equal halves—must be honoured. That 2.5-year point has already passed, yet Siddaramaiah has shown no inclination to resign, nor has the party attempted to enforce the alleged agreement.

Over the past week, Shivakumar and his camp have intensified reminders that Siddaramaiah should relinquish power. One such oblique remark involved a reference to “word power”, widely interpreted as another nudge at the chief minister.

Siddaramaiah has so far refused to bow to the pressure, though he has acknowledged “confusion” within the party and urged senior leaders to bring the matter to a close. His reaction to the “word power” comment—a post on X reading “‘word’ becomes ‘power’ only when it improves people’s lives…”—suggests the tension may be wearing on him.

The Congress leadership, meanwhile, has tried to play down the issue. Until Mallikarjun Kharge’s assurance on Wednesday that “Sonia, Rahul and I will resolve this”, the party had publicly denied any leadership rift. Randeep Surjewala, who previously negotiated peace between the two leaders, blamed the BJP for attempting to manufacture discord.

Sources told NDTV this morning that Kharge has now spoken to Rahul Gandhi and stressed the need to settle the matter before the Karnataka Assembly’s winter session begins on December 8. He is said to be acutely aware that a fractured party could take a beating on the floor of the House, especially with the BJP preparing to capitalise.

A senior BJP leader in Karnataka confirmed their plan to move a no-confidence motion against the Congress government. Sunil Kumar told reporters, “Siddaramaiah is confined to Mysuru and the Deputy Chief Minister to Delhi. In this situation, I spoke to R. Ashok and other leaders and said we must bring a no-confidence motion.”