At 10 a.m., Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar arrived at Mallikarjun Kharge’s Delhi home, a modest two‑storey place on a quiet street. The two men were ushered indoors for a briefing that had everyone on edge. Rahul Gandhi sat nearby, his face a mix of focus and impatience. The room held nothing more than a long table, a stack of papers, and a single high‑definition screen displaying Karnataka’s map. The air was dense with expectation.
For months, the Congress high command has been watching Karnataka’s fortunes. In recent years the party’s share of seats has slipped, leaving a bitter feeling among supporters that the state’s politics grew stagnant. Now, the leadership is asking hard questions: Who should stand in the next assembly? How can the party’s image improve? These issues circle back as the 2028 election day draws
