A planned trip to Australia and New Zealand by a group of Karnataka Congress legislators has intensified a simmering power struggle within the state’s ruling party, raising questions about the future of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s leadership.
Approximately 27 Congress MLAs and MLCs are scheduled to depart Tuesday, according to party insiders. Even as legislators publicly characterize the travel as a routine excursion, sources within the Congress suggest it is a strategic maneuver by Siddaramaiah’s camp to preempt a potential push led by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar for a meeting of the Congress Legislative Party (CLP).
The trip comes amid long-standing speculation regarding an unwritten agreement within the Congress party, reportedly stipulating that Shivakumar would eventually succeed Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister. The possibility of a leadership change before the commencement of the budget session on March 6th has prompted the Siddaramaiah faction to encourage select legislators to travel, effectively diminishing the number of voices available to support a call for a CLP meeting.
Efforts to manage the fallout from the planned trip were reportedly initiated by the Congress high command, with Randeep Surjewala contacting MLAs in an attempt to persuade them to postpone their travel plans. While some legislators complied with the request, others proceeded with their scheduled departures, signaling their allegiance to the Siddaramaiah camp.
The current tensions build on a history of political maneuvering within the Karnataka Congress. In February 11, 2026, Siddaramaiah reportedly rebuffed reporters’ repeated questions regarding a potential power-sharing arrangement with Shivakumar, stating, “Don’t you have anything else to ask apart from that? For the past three months, you have been asking the same question again, and again. Please don’t ask it again,” and asserting that any decision would rest with the party’s central leadership.
DK Shivakumar, speaking separately, has avoided direct responses to questions about the leadership issue. Recent comments by DK Suresh, Shivakumar’s brother and a former MP, expressing confidence that Siddaramaiah would “keep his word” on an alleged leadership promise, further fueled speculation about a rotational chief minister arrangement.
The power struggle as well follows a recent incident in which Karnataka Social Welfare Minister HC Mahadevappa, a close ally of Siddaramaiah, used a controversial analogy, referring to dissenting MLAs as “street dogs” when questioned about potential leadership changes. Mahadevappa reportedly stated, “high court has said catch the street dogs and cage them,” in response to inquiries about the internal power dynamics within the Congress government.
As of February 16, 2026, the Congress high command has not issued a formal statement addressing the planned trip or the underlying leadership concerns. The budget session is scheduled to begin March 6th.