‘Word power is world power’: DK Shivakumar's direct pressure on high command

New Delhi: The power tussle inside the Karnataka Congress has entered a sharper phase, with Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s own social media posts now sitting at the centre of what party insiders and rivals are calling the state unit’s “November revolution” moment.

Even as his loyalist MLAs camp in Delhi to push for a mid-term leadership change, Shivakumar has chosen to speak in public through layered signals, first by dismissing talk of a “November revolution” and then by reminding the party high command that “keeping a promise is a big power move”.

Earlier this month, in a post on X, Shivakumar directly referred to the phrase doing the rounds in political circles and said there would be no “November revolution”, adding that the “real revolution” would come only in 2028 when the Congress returns to power in the state.

Shivakumar wanted to signal that any upheaval should be seen as part of a longer game leading up to the next Assembly election.

On Thursday, he went a step further. In another public message, he said “word power is world power” and that the biggest strength in politics is keeping one’s word, remarks widely read as a reminder to the party about the alleged understanding that he would get a shot at the chief minister’s post during this term.

ಕೊಟ್ಟ ಮಾತು ಉಳಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದೇ ವಿಶ್ವದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಶಕ್ತಿ! pic.twitter.com/klregNRUtv

— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) November 27, 2025

Power shift talk reaches Delhi

The balancing act between public loyalty and private pressure is playing out as more pro-Shivakumar MLAs travel to Delhi, openly demanding a change of guard in Bengaluru.

At least 15 legislators from his camp have met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in recent days, arguing that the party must honour what they describe as a power-sharing commitment made when the Congress won the 2023 Assembly election and chose Siddaramaiah as chief minister.

The midway mark of the government’s term on November 20 has become the reference point for these demands, with December 1 being talked about in party circles as an informal cut-off for any change.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has publicly asked the high command to “end the confusion” over the leadership issue and said he will abide by whatever decision is taken in Delhi.

Congress president Kharge has also acknowledged the churn, saying that he, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will discuss the matter and “resolve the issue”.

‘Secret deal’, but not for public debate

Shivakumar, however, has refused to spell out details of any understanding, calling it a “secret deal” known only to a handful of senior leaders in the party.

“Only five or six people are privy to that secret,” he said this week, declining to elaborate further and insisting that he did not want to embarrass the organisation by speaking in detail about the chief ministership in public.

At the same time, his supporters have stepped up pressure through both political and symbolic means. MLAs close to him have been making rounds of Delhi for over a week, while back in Karnataka, his followers organised special pujas at Mysuru’s Chamundi Hills temple and invited sadhus to his residence seeking “blessings” for his elevation.

Siddaramaiah’s camp has pushed back, calling the “November revolution” chatter a media creation and stressing that the Congress has been elected for a full five-year term with him as chief minister.

‘November revolution’ becomes political shorthand

The term “November revolution” has now become shorthand in Karnataka’s political lexicon for a possible change in leadership this month, even if Shivakumar himself has publicly said there will be “no revolution” before 2028.

For his critics, that contradiction is telling: he is distancing himself from talk of a coup while allowing his followers to keep the pressure going in Delhi and on the ground.

Among his supporters, his X posts are being read as a polite but firm reminder to the high command that “a word given” in 2023, about a rotational arrangement or future elevation, should not be forgotten now that the halfway mark has been crossed.

The BJP, meanwhile, has weaponised the churn through social media campaigns and AI-driven videos, portraying the chief minister’s chair as “out of stock” and mocking both leaders for being more focused on internal one-upmanship than governance.

High command under pressure to signal finality

For the Congress leadership in Delhi, the immediate challenge is to contain the impression of drift in a state it sees as crucial to its national positioning ahead of 2029.

Allowing speculation about a “November revolution” to drag on without a clear decision risks two outcomes: weakening Siddaramaiah’s authority if he stays on without explicit endorsement, and damaging Shivakumar’s standing if his camp is seen as having overplayed its hand.

That is why both sides are now publicly deferring to the high command, even as the messaging war intensifies.

Siddaramaiah has said legislators are free to put forward their views to leaders in Delhi but reiterated that the final call is not his to make.

Shivakumar has described himself as a “disciplined soldier” of the party, saying he will accept any decision, even while reminding everyone that in politics, keeping one’s word is the ultimate test of credibility.

As the informal December 1 “deadline” approaches, what happens to the phrase “November revolution”, whether it becomes political history, a deferred promise, or a trigger for a serious reshuffle, will depend entirely on how the Congress high command chooses to read Shivakumar’s words and his camp’s moves in the coming days.