Tensions between Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy, D.K. Shivakumar, have resurfaced following the transfer of five senior engineers from the Public Works Department, which comes under Shivakumar’s Water Resources Ministry.
The transfers were ordered by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, a portfolio handled by Siddaramaiah. Shivakumar responded with a strongly worded letter to Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, demanding the transfer orders be “immediately withdrawn” as they had been issued without his knowledge.
In his letter, Shivakumar reminded the top bureaucrat of an informal understanding agreed upon when the Congress government was formed last year — that no postings or transfers within his department would occur without his explicit consent.
The move has further strained ties between the state’s top two Congress leaders, who were rivals for the chief ministerial post after the party’s sweeping victory in the May 2023 state election.
The Congress secured 137 of 244 seats in the assembly, marking a strong comeback in Karnataka and ousting the BJP from its only southern stronghold.
One of the transferred engineers is reportedly due to retire at the end of the month. The notification directed his replacement to report ahead of schedule, adding to the friction.
Siddaramaiah has yet to respond to Shivakumar’s letter. While party leaders have frequently sought to downplay reports of internal conflict, the episode highlights an enduring undercurrent of rivalry between the two senior Congress figures.
This is not the first time the duo has clashed over administrative decisions. Differences have previously surfaced over the allocation of cabinet portfolios, appointments to boards and corporations, and the functioning of key departments.
In January, Shivakumar again dismissed suggestions of a rift, telling reporters that he and Siddaramaiah would complete their terms as per the party’s directive. “No one should worry… the Chief Minister and I will continue functioning under the party’s guidance,” he had said.
The Congress has consistently denied rumours of a power-sharing agreement under which Siddaramaiah would serve as chief minister for half the term before handing over to Shivakumar. Siddaramaiah himself had quashed such talk last November, stating, “I am the Chief Minister. I will continue.”
However, the growing frequency of such disputes is raising concerns within the party, especially with key assembly elections due in Bihar later this year and in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu in 2026.
The Congress faces the challenge of keeping its leadership united in Karnataka, a state crucial to its southern revival.
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