Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has cancelled his proposed official visit to Davos, where he was scheduled to attend the World Economic Forum from January 18. Sources said the decision was taken due to pressing political and administrative commitments in New Delhi and Bengaluru.
The Deputy CM is expected to hold a series of meetings with AICC functionaries in the coming days. The Congress has been grappling with a leadership tussle amid speculations of a possible change of Karnataka Chief Minister ever since the government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, 2025.
The speculation was fuelled by reports of a power-sharing arrangement between Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah in 2023.
He is also leading the Karnataka government’s campaign against the Union Government over MNREGA, ahead of a five-day special session of the Karnataka Assembly beginning January 22. Sources added that ongoing political developments in the state also influenced the decision.
Instead of Shivakumar, Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries M B Patil is set to participate in the Davos Summit from January 19-23, 2026, as per news agency PTI.
Ahead of his participation, he said that the state has seen rapid conversion of investment commitments into on-ground projects, due to faster clearances and a fully digital single-window system.
Out of the ₹5.66 lakh crore committed to manufacturing investments, ₹3.22 lakh crore has already been realised, translating into a 58 per cent success rate. In the renewable energy sector, ₹1.41 lakh crore has materialised against commitments of ₹4.25 lakh crore. Meanwhile, infrastructure development has seen investments of ₹8,500 crore realised out of the ₹45,000 crore committed, he said.
Last year, the Karnataka government did not send a delegation to the 55th WEF annual meeting held from January 20-24, 2025. The Karnataka government gave the global summit to prioritise its Invest Karnataka Global Investors Meet, that took place in February last year.
Southern states, incluidng Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala, participated in the summit to attract global investors by presenting their industrial advancements and investment opportunities.
