As Siddaramaiah is set to become the longest-serving chief minister of Karnataka, a congratulatory message came from his bete noire and deputy, D.K. Shivakumar, who called it a "happy moment."
"This is a happy moment. I wish him well. Everyone has ambitions to achieve in life. He has made his mark in the history books in the past, and he will be there in the future too," Shivakumar told reporters in Bengaluru.
Siddaramaiah is set to surpass the record of Devaraj Urs on Wednesday, making him the longest-serving chief minister of Karnataka.
Shivakumar's remark is significant, as he and the chief minister have been locked in a bitter power tussle, which intensified in mid-November when the Congress government reached the halfway mark in its tenure.
At the heart of this power struggle is a purported understanding made in 2023 between the two leaders. Reports suggested that when the Congress high command chose Siddaramaiah as the chief minister in 2023, the two leaders had reached an agreement, under which Shivakumar would be made CM once the government hit the halfway mark.
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However, the party leadership has never publicly acknowledged such an arrangement.
The power struggle plunged the Karnataka Congress into a deep crisis, with the two leaders exchanging veiled digs at each other on social media, prompting intervention from the high command.
Later, signaling a truce, the two leaders met for breakfast twice in December and put on a show of unity, as instructed by the party leadership.
