“No option but to follow party line”: DK Shivakumar on being appointed Congress observer for Assam polls

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Pradesh Congress Committee president D K Shivakumar on January 8 said he had no choice but to accept the party’s decision after being appointed as a senior observer for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, asserting that following the party’s directive is intrinsic to being a Congressman.

Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar said he had seen the AICC press release appointing him to oversee party affairs in Assam and confirmed that he would take up the responsibility. 

“I don’t have any option. Whatever the party tells us to do, we have to do it. That is what being a Congressman means. They have asked me to look after Assam. I had been to Assam earlier as well, long ago, and now they want me there again. I will be going,” he said.

The Congress on Wednesday appointed Shivakumar, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and former Jharkhand MLA Bandhu Tirkey as senior party observers for the Assam Assembly elections, which are likely to be held in March–April across 126 constituencies. The party is seeking to strengthen its organisational strategy against the incumbent BJP government led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Known within the party as a key troubleshooter, Shivakumar’s appointment has triggered political speculation in Karnataka, where he is widely viewed as a potential claimant to the chief minister’s post. His new role has added a fresh twist to the ongoing leadership discourse in the state.

The power tussle within the ruling Congress in Karnataka has intensified amid speculation of a leadership change after the government crossed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20. The speculation has been fuelled by reports of a power-sharing understanding between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar at the time the Congress formed the government in 2023.