Congress MLA Claims ‘99% Chance’ D K Shivakumar Will Become Karnataka Chief Minister on January 6

Speculation over a leadership change in Karnataka gained fresh momentum on Saturday after Congress MLA H A Iqbal Hussain claimed that Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar would take over as chief minister on January 6, replacing incumbent Siddaramaiah.

Speaking to reporters, the Ramanagara legislator said Shivakumar deserved an opportunity to lead the state. “There is a 99 per cent chance that he becomes chief minister on January 6,” Hussain told PTI, reiterating his support for the deputy chief minister.

Asked about the significance of the date, Hussain admitted there was no concrete basis. “I don’t know. It’s just a random number. Everybody is saying this. It can either be January 6 or 9. These are the two dates,” he said. Hussain has been openly demanding that Shivakumar be elevated to the top post and had publicly expressed his wish a day earlier as well.

The remarks come even as political leaders across party lines weighed in on the ongoing leadership tussle within the Karnataka Congress. Union Minister of State for Railways and BJP MP V Somanna said he was backing Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara for the chief minister’s post.

Addressing a programme in Tumakuru, Somanna said, “Getting power is luck. I never dreamt that Parameshwara would remain just as the Home minister. It is our wish to see him as CM. Not just me, but the people of Tumakuru have this desire to see him as the CM.”

When asked about Shivakumar, who is widely seen as a strong contender, Somanna remarked, “Leave it. That’s secondary. What Shivakumar wants to become depends on his luck. Conduct is even bigger than luck.”

What’s Happening in Karnataka?

Amid the mounting speculation, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar are scheduled to meet Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on December 14, sources said. The meeting is expected to take place after the Congress’s mega rally at Ramlila Maidan, organised as part of the party’s ‘Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod’ campaign, which alleges collusion between the ruling BJP and the Election Commission.

The Congress currently enjoys a comfortable majority of nearly 140 MLAs in the 224-member Karnataka Assembly. However, the leadership debate has intensified since the government crossed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20.

The speculation centres on reports of a possible understanding to split the chief minister’s tenure for 2.5 years each as part of a generational transition. Neither the party nor either leader has officially confirmed such an arrangement, though Shivakumar recently alluded to a “secret deal” without elaborating.

So far, 63-year-old Shivakumar has not made any overt move against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, 77, even as the leadership question continues to simmer within the ruling party.