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The political temperature rose further as KP Bhagyraj, a former KPCC media secretary, wrote to the high command, urging them to consider Shivakumar’s ‘sacrifice and contribution’
Under the guise of an early birthday celebration for Magadi MLA HC Balakrishna, a significant cohort of influential ministers and legislators convened at a private hotel. (News18)
The Karnataka Congress’ internal landscape reached a fever pitch this week as a high-profile gathering of loyalists supporting deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar signaled a deepening rift within the ruling party.
Under the guise of an early birthday celebration for Magadi MLA HC Balakrishna, a significant cohort of influential ministers and legislators convened at a private hotel for what many observers are calling a strategic display of “dinner politics”. The banquet, attended by prominent figures such as ministers D Sudhakar and Mankala Vaidya, alongside key MLAs Sharath Bachegowda and CP Yogeshwar, occurred notably while a rival faction aligned with chief minister Siddaramaiah embarked on an overseas trip, highlighting the increasingly polarised nature of the state leadership.
The political temperature rose further following the revelation of a formal letter sent to the Congress high command by KP Bhagyraj, a former KPCC media secretary and dedicated party worker from Mysuru.
In his appeal to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Bhagyraj urged the national leadership to consider Shivakumar’s “sacrifice and contribution” to the party and elevate him to the top post in Karnataka. The letter specifically credited Shivakumar’s tenure as KPCC president for securing the decisive mandate of 136 seats in the 2023 elections, with Bhagyraj asserting, “You know this truth, the high command knows it, and the people of this state know it.” The letter warned of potential electoral setbacks in upcoming local body polls and expressed a pointed hope that the 2026 Dasara celebrations would be inaugurated by Shivakumar as chief minister.
In response to the mounting speculation and reports of a coordinated lobbying effort, Shivakumar issued a public statement attempting to de-escalate the situation while maintaining his own standing. Addressing reporters, Shivakumar explicitly appealed to his supporters to refrain from traveling to New Delhi to advocate on his behalf, stating, “I appeal to everyone not to go to Delhi to lobby for me. If you have personal requests or are aspiring for Cabinet positions, you can go to Delhi. But you don’t need to go to Delhi to bat for me.”
He maintained that the recent gathering of over 40 MLAs was not a formal show of strength, dismissing the event as a personal social engagement unrelated to official party business and noting that “what they do for personal reasons has nothing to do with the party.”
Despite Shivakumar’s dismissive stance regarding the “dinner politics” narrative, the timing of the assembly has left political analysts convinced that the internal power struggle is entering a more assertive phase. Shivakumar characterised the activities of various party members, including those traveling abroad or meeting for dinner, as private leisure that does not reflect a fracture in party unity.
However, with loyalists like Bhagyraj openly petitioning the high command to “end the confusion” and organised gatherings becoming more frequent, the pressure on the Congress leadership to address the dual-power structure in Karnataka continues to intensify as the government moves closer to its mid-term mark.
February 27, 2026, 19:58 IST
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