Karnataka Politics: DK Shivakumar Faces Huge Cabinet Test, Siddaramaiah vs DKS | India Today

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]To decode all that's playing out in the power games that's been happening for the last many weeks. Look, the Chief Minister throne may be settled, but there's still so many questions about the cabinet will look like, what will Siddaramaiah settle for? Nagaswar, I'll begin with you on what you think the next 2 years will be like. Extremely challenging for D.K. Shivakumar?

[00:00:18]>> Uh it won't be a smooth sailing, Akshita. Definitely, there would be uh expectations of him on on the finances to be getting it right. And he has to fill in the giant boots of Siddaramaiah.

[00:00:29]Siddaramaiah was too good in his finances, what his people say it on it.

[00:00:33]We know the finances of Karnataka are not as uh as comfortable as it looks it used to look before.

[00:00:38]Implementation of guarantees would be another task. Uh already, the state government is facing issues with implementation of Gruha Lakshmi and not paying money for the two such months.

[00:00:47]So, he has big burden and two elections coming up. One is the GBA and then Zilla Panchayat and Taluk Panchayat. So, the moment he fails, people will start asking questions as simple as why is he here if he can't prove? Uh in August, we might have the GBA elections. Five corporations in Bengaluru. He has his task cut out immediately. He doesn't have the time to celebrate. No honeymoon period as such like Siddaramaiah usually had in the first 30 days, 60 days. D.K.

[00:01:10]Shivakumar has task cut out. Uh no time for celebration. People will ask questions to him. Uh and it's also monsoon season. So, Bengaluru, the moment it rains, we see the streets flooding.

[00:01:21]>> Already happening by the way.

[00:01:22]>> And he carries the legacy of being the Bengaluru in-charge minister. So, there's more on him rather than uh sitting back and enjoying. Uh it won't be a smooth sailing initially. At least that much I can tell you because people are not getting into cabinet will be the voices uh will be irritating to him uh every time in the assembly, every time outside. They would be telling him, "You wouldn't pick me. We supported you. We stood by you." What has happened is both these leaders has promised almost 70 or 80 of them saying, "If I stay back or if I come back, I will take you in power."

[00:01:50]>> How is that possible?

[00:01:51]>> Yeah, 80 voices or 80 heads to be accommodated, that's the big challenge.

[00:01:55]How many of them would be okay with just board and corporation? Even if people make it in, would they be okay with horticulture ministry or with a law ministry? Everyone wants a plum portfolio to be in the cabinet so that they get the seniority in the next cabinet also. So, overall in the next 2 years, it's going to be a bit of jugglery between administration, irritated voices within the assembly in the party, and two big elections, and then the final 2028 elections.

[00:02:20]>> Sagay, what do you think? You know, we don't have any sort of you know, history to look back on because it's the first time that D.K. Shivakumar has become Chief Minister. Whereas for Siddaramaiah, you know, you could always talk of his previous tenure and then compare it to how he's performed now. With D.K.

[00:02:36]Shivakumar, I think there is a certain amount of questions about whether he can actually deliver. He has to live up to the expectations of what Siddaramaiah delivered and then some more because politically also it's challenging because of the timing and that he has 2 years before 2028 elections.

[00:02:51]>> Absolutely. And you should also see the administration of Basavaraj Bommai. He also had only 2 years of time, but there was a lot of goof-up at that point of time. Whether this transition will be smooth for D.K. Shivakumar, how administration is going to work because all this while if you notice that everything gone for a wire inside Vidhana Soudha. Everybody was telling that who is the boss. What is happening when the transition is happening? And if you notice that Siddaramaiah camp have time and again has alleged that it is D.K. Shivakumar who has been a hurdle for them for any administration or anything because they believe that the whole transition is going to happen now.

[00:03:26]So, we need not pass this particular bill. Let us wait for this and everything. So, now it is a huge burden on him as Nagarjun was telling that every single day it will be a testing day because he has that kind of a stature.

[00:03:38]>> Yeah.

[00:03:38]>> Okay. Remember I told you earlier.

[00:03:41]Deputy Chief Minister post is not constitutionally recognized, but still he added the value for that.

[00:03:46]>> No, he was given very important portfolios also.

[00:03:48]>> Important portfolio, but the the position I mean to say.

[00:03:52]Deputy Chief Minister you made to believe that it is a strong position.

[00:03:55]And he had that kind of attention. And he was a TRP for everybody, whether it is television, TV, or anybody whenever he speaks. So, all eyes on him, just like Vijay in Tamil Nadu. They're going to watch him, ensure that he delivers, or else he's going to have a tough time.

[00:04:10]>> difference between D.K. Shivakumar and Vijay. Yes, both grab eyeballs. One though has a whole lot of political acumen backing him.

[00:04:18]Someone who's been a crisis manager for the Congress, someone who's led the Karnataka Congress also for the last many years. Mr. Upadhya, do you think that that helps him in any way? Do you think it puts D.K. Shivakumar in a position where he can deliver?

[00:04:32]>> I think so, because see uh he's bringing something new to the table. We have seen how Siddaramaiah's functioned for the last 3 years. And everyone feels that, you know, his second term has been very, very uh you know, short short on the expectation. I mean, you know, he's not met the expectations.

[00:04:50]>> Really?

[00:04:50]>> Yes, I think first term was good. First term was really good because he was able to deliver on many things. And this second term there has been a fatigue.

[00:04:58]Fatigue is certain, and especially in terms of, you know, finances. See >> He listed out a series of >> No, no, he has done.

[00:05:05]>> achievements, as he says.

[00:05:05]>> No, no, he has done, but the problem is there is no money. You see, he has refused to buckle down and reduce the you know, the funds given to the guarantees. You see, there has been lot of suggestions given that look, you started this 3 years ago, and you have, you know, done a lot of you know, good by you know, distributing this, but there is a time, you know, when you have to reassess the whole thing. See whether it's really working.

[00:05:29]Do you need to keep everybody in this you know, loop? Why don't you you know, take away people who are taxpayers? I mean, you know, people who have money, you know. So, he just refused. He said, "I would like to keep it as it is."

[00:05:40]>> see D.K. Shivakumar changing that though? Because in the 2 years that he's going to be CM, it's in a run-up to an election.

[00:05:45]>> Yes, I think it's going to be very, very difficult for him to change, but he will have to find resources. See, he himself has come up with so many mega projects.

[00:05:53]45,000 crores for the tunnel project, 20,000 crores for business corridor, and so many projects. So, it is a onus of on him to find the resources now. He can't blame on the Chief Minister. He can't say he's not giving you money. You have to find it yourself. Now, how are you going to do that? He has already Karnataka is already in much tax state.

[00:06:12]>> Yeah.

[00:06:12]>> And everything has gone up. You know, water, electricity, liquor, all that.

[00:06:16]>> [laughter] >> Naga's priorities are clear.

[00:06:19]>> Well, the priority comes out here.

[00:06:21]Anyway, I think you know, everything has gone up, but people are fed up. And you know, things See, he's Bangalore development minister, and a lot of people complain that things don't move.

[00:06:30]You know, apartments are not getting the you know, the this thing they require.

[00:06:35]Licenses are not being given. He's holding on to everything. And then there is an impression that has gathered that you know, his people are everywhere in the government. And there there allegations that these people are there to you know, get commissions. So, he has to get rid of all this you know, negative where are these images that he has.

[00:06:55]>> is corruption. Mr. Shrivastava, would you think that the biggest challenge for D.K. Shivakumar is to shed that corrupt image? You know, right now when he takes oath as the Chief Minister, he'll now become India's richest Chief Minister. And he literally flaunts it on his lever as well with all of his luxury scarves and watches. But is that the biggest challenge for him to shed that image?

[00:07:16]>> He is a third ranking popular MLA or politician you can say after Madam Rosemary in the Tamil Nadu and the Parag Shah in Mumbai. He is the third ranking with a 1413 crore wealth. He is the richest Chief Minister, no doubt about it.

[00:07:32]The fact is that it's not going to be the bed of roses for him. It's a bed of roses with lot of thorns inside. So, he will have to do a lot of balancing act.

[00:07:42]Now, in the ministry formation, you can see that Siddaramaiah carried the list to the high command that this is the >> Eight names.

[00:07:48]>> This is the minister ministers I wish for the next you know, cabinet or something like that. So, the SCs, the OBCs, the Muslims, the Ahindas, I mean, he's a he's a plate full of that. Apart from that, the number of infrastructure work, it is you rightly said the corruption has eaten into the GB elections have not taken place for the last decade almost.

[00:08:12]>> Yeah, now at least in August hopefully.

[00:08:14]>> And people are getting People are getting frustrated direct I was reading in the paper today that 10,000 apartments are looking for the clarification from the government on various acts of 1960, 1972, the Kerala that the Karnataka ownership act and other acts. There are there are a lot of things which are to be clarified.

[00:08:34]>> No, so there's frustration.

[00:08:35]>> Yeah, so there's a frustration building up. Then the infrastructure, you see that there are there are a lot of water logging, the garbage. The garbage has become a such a tricky issue for the entire Bangalore. People are cleaning their streets themselves now.

[00:08:50]So, that is the situation >> No, so then the question that will be asked is Naga, what was D.K.

[00:08:55]Shivakumar's legacy as the Bangalore in charge minister? What did he manage to do to prove that he can be a good administrator?

[00:09:03]>> In fact, Bangalore in charge ministry, no matter who takes it up is a bane.

[00:09:06]It's not a boon. People usually it's a good money >> powerful.

[00:09:10]>> It's a very powerful portfolio and good money portfolio that like both of them have mentioned it's a good commission portfolio. That's the reason why people fight usually for it that we need to get that most powerful Bangalore portfolio.

[00:09:22]Not just that, but irrespective of which party comes I've been saying that and who becomes this in charge minister, the infrastructure has collapsed long long back. We're only playing the catching up game right now. Okay, there was a flood here, immediately go dig up a drain there and ensure the water is gone away.

[00:09:37]And there's a flood somewhere else, go.

[00:09:39]There's no a long-term solution and the city cannot handle such influx of people also. There's only this much the city can handle at this point of time.

[00:09:48]This needs a futuristic plan, but do these politicians have such capability and thinking capacity? I highly unlikely. They live for the day.

[00:09:56]Tomorrow what's the issue and day after what's the issue, what battles that do we tackle right now? First election, GBA would be the main agenda for them and then would be the infra structure.

[00:10:05]>> No, but I'll again ask, what what was the legacy of D.K. Shivakumar? If you were to look at his term as Bangalore in-charge minister, what's the highlight? Was there one development project, one infrastructure project that you can think of? No.

[00:10:17]>> I don't think even the Congress >> I can't think of any.

[00:10:18]>> That's exactly. I don't think even the Congress members would have any idea when we when we ask them what is the legacy that he's carrying as Bangalore in-charge minister apart from the tunnel that they talk about, that they would dig a tunnel from Silk Board till Hebbal and ensure that there's a smooth traffic flow. 40,000 crore, that's still in a tender process.

[00:10:35]>> There's a lot of things under under pipeline. AAI City in Ramanagara, skydeck, tunnel project, and the biggest ambitious project for him is that getting DPR approved for your Mekedatu dam to be built.

[00:10:51]>> No, I'm talking about Bangalore.

[00:10:52]>> Bangalore skydeck, AAI City, and tunnels.

[00:10:55]No, no, it's it's all on paper.

[00:10:57]And and and the funds which has been allocated for all these projects are huge.

[00:11:01]>> questions, Akshita. It's been 3 years.

[00:11:03]Things had to be transformed coming and seen on on