5 Reasons Why DK Shivakumar Will Remain the CM of Karnataka in 2028, but from the BJP Side

On October 27 and 28, the election results were announced for the Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council). Four seats went to polls, with the NDA winning all four (three BJP + one JD(S)), with a total of 43 candidates contesting across these constituencies. This election was unique since it used the physical ballot paper system, compared to the previous MLC elections held on June 18, 2026, in which only active MLAs were allowed to vote and there was a high level of cross-voting, in which Congress won five out of seven seats. Yet, this result is fascinating after the entire vote chori campaign and protests led by Rahul Gandhi in the national capital, which DK was part of.

1. Hindu identity that his party isn’t comfortable with — It’s a drastic change from the previous CM Siddaramaiah, a pioneer in practising minority appeasement politics. Policy decisions regarding temple fund management and celebrations of Tipu Jayanti. DK is different. During the year’s Maha Kumbh, he actively participated in the historic event and even praised the Yogi-led UP government, going against his party line.

Following the event, he attended the Maha Shivaratri event, rubbing shoulders with Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the Sadhguru-led Isha Maha Shivaratri event. A leader who is so comfortable with temple politics is an awkward fit for a party that has long defined itself against the Sangh’s politics. He would be a natural fit for the BJP.

2. Rising disrespect from the Gandhi camp — The high command made DK keep guessing for a long time. He was the KPCC president who led the Congress party to victory in the 2023 election. However, he was not given the CM post immediately; rather, the high command chose Siddaramaiah because of his AHINDA vote bank. There was an agreement of power-sharing, with a rotational understanding of 2.5 years between Sidda and DK.

Until Congress won in Kerala and took part in the cabinet of Tamil Nadu. Then DK pressured the high command to make him the CM in June. Clips surfaced from the October 12 Congress march to the Supreme Court protesting against the CEC. Videos showcased Rahul Gandhi pulling DK back by his collar before he was swallowed by the crowd. Though DK claimed it was misinformation, the visuals gave a different impression.

Interestingly, Himanta Biswa Sarma, once a senior Congress leader and now one of the most visible Hindu faces of the BJP, posted on X: “In 2015, I refused to swallow humiliation, as a proud Assamese. God was kind to me. The Chief Minister of Karnataka is not just an individual. He is a constitutional office, and the face of a State with a glorious history, a rich culture and deep pride. Will he bow to this public humiliation? ‘Reinvention’ can't hide arrogance. Change the mask all you like; the face beneath stays the same.” In loyalty to a political family, dignity must never be lost.

3. Civil war within the Congress party — Karnataka Congress has always been a divided house, with deep rivalries from within the party, and the DK era has not ended the feud. Siddaramaiah didn’t attend the swearing-in when DK expanded the cabinet in August, apparently upset over a Kuruba leader being left out.

4. The weight of agencies — Shivakumar has been named in many cases. The ED arrested him in September 2019, and he was in custody for 50 days. The CBI registered a case of disproportionate assets against him in 2022. An ED chargesheet was filed in 2022 in the National Herald money-laundering case, relating to the donations received by Young Indians. His brother, DK Suresh, and he were questioned regarding the same. The Opposition claims it is vendetta, and DK himself has claimed that the agencies target the Opposition. An incumbent CM has every reason to seek peace with the Centre.

5. The Sangh’s bridge and a BJP that needs a face — In August 2025, DK disrupted the RSS prayer, Namaste Sada Vatsale, on the floor of the House. The BJP benches thumped their desks, and within days, he was apologising, insisting he was a born Congressman. But the episode launched speculation, even among colleagues in Congress, about whom he was trying to impress.

On his swearing-in day, he went out of his way to seek the blessings of two patriarchs of the Opposition camp, B.S. Yediyurappa and H.D. Deve Gowda. At the same time, the BJP in Karnataka still lacks a mass leader who can match his organisational clout and his hold over the Vokkaliga belt. Shivakumar himself has cited a dozen Opposition legislators who cross-voted for Congress in the June Council elections. A party looking for a face and a leader for its future.

The Road to 2028

All this doesn’t necessarily imply DK’s shift. The Council vote was limited to registered teachers and graduates; it doesn’t threaten his government, and Shivakumar has accepted that voters sent a message and promised to correct course. He insists he is a born Congressman and will die a Congressman, and he has been sharply critical of PM Modi in recent days. But the defeat sharpens the question that the five reasons raise. If Congress refuses to give DK Shivakumar a secure political future, the question is: when will he finally turn around and tell Congress, “It’s done, bro”?