Karnataka CM joins PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi for dinner amid leadership speculation

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, along with a group of Ministers and legislators, attended a dinner hosted by senior Minister Satish Jarkiholi in Belagavi on December 18, official sources said.

The dinner meeting was held at the residence of Mr. Jarkiholi, who is considered close to Mr. Siddaramaiah. It has sparked fresh speculation amid the ongoing power tussle within the ruling Congress over the CM’s post.

According to sources, Ministers G. Parameshwara, H. C. Mahadevappa, B. Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan, M. C. Sudhakar, and legislators A. S. Ponnanna and Naseer Ahmed were among those who attended the dinner.

The gathering followed a dinner on the night of December 17 where Mr. Jarkiholi hosted over 30 ‘like-minded’ legislators at a hotel in Belagavi. While Mr. Siddaramaiah had skipped it, his son and MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah, confidant and MLA K. N. Rajanna, were among those present.

Responding to a question from reporters regarding the dinner meet, Deputy CM D. K. Shivakumar on December 19 said, “What’s wrong in meeting for dinner? Let them have dinner. It’s a good thing. Can we say don’t have dinner?”

When pointed out that only some people were present at the meeting, Mr. Shivakumar replied, “Why should I comment on it? They met over dinner. We have all come from other places (to Belagavi for the winter session of the Karnataka legislature). What’s wrong if everyone meets (over dinner)?”

Mr. Jarkiholi, who hosted the dinner, said there is nothing new in it, and it will happen in the future too.

“Yes, there was a dinner meeting on December 18. The Chief Minister and senior Ministers had turned up. This is not the first time it is happening, it has happened in Bengaluru, and keeps happening in Belagavi. It will keep happening in the future too. There is nothing new or any politics in this,” he said.

Rejecting claims that Mr. Siddaramaiah is the ‘outgoing CM’, Mr. Jarkiholi said, “The Chief Minister has stated in the Assembly that his term is for five years.”

Asked about Mr. Shivakumar not being invited for the dinner, he said, “He too will be invited.”

MLA A.S. Ponnanna, who is also the CM’s legal advisor, said politics was not discussed at the meeting, and the CM left soon after having some soup, as he had some health issues.

“The dinner was late as there was a Cabinet meeting earlier in the evening… There was no political discussion. He (CM) only said that everyone should focus on strengthening the party after the session. There was nothing else. Seven-eight of us were there,” he said

The dinner meetings come a week after over 30 Congress legislators, including some Ministers, met for dinner along with Mr. Shivakumar, on the outskirts of Belagavi.

While some attendees dismissed the meetings as ‘casual dinners’ during the ongoing winter session of the State legislature, others suggested that political developments in the State were discussed.

The power tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculations about a change in chief minister in the State after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20. The speculation was fuelled by rumours of a ‘power-sharing’ pact between Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar in 2023.

However, both the CM and Deputy CM had recently held breakfast meetings at each other’s residences, on the instructions of the high command, which was seen as a move to pause the leadership tussle between the two and to signal Mr. Siddaramaiah’s continuation as the CM for the time being, keeping in mind the winter session of the legislature in Belagavi from December 8.

The winter session of the legislature is scheduled to conclude on December 19.

Published – December 19, 2025 04:46 pm IST