The Congress party in Karnataka is struggling to keep its house in order. Despite public proclamations of unity and reassurances from senior leadership, the party is being buffeted by growing undercurrents of dissent, factional rivalry, and the slow unravelling of a leadership pact that now appears to be more political myth than a roadmap. At the centre of the un rest is the uneasy cohabitation between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy, D.K. Shivakumar.

What began as a power-sharing compromise following the party’s electoral victory has evolved into a tug-of-war marked by veiled accusations, open defiance, and increasingly shrill calls for change. The promise that Mr Shivakumar would take over midway through the term has remained conveniently ambiguous, fuelling both his aspirations and the resentment of those loyal to Mr Siddaramaiah. The official line ~ that there is no discu – ssion of a leadership change ~ is less a position than a plea for discipline. When party........

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