Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and senior Congress leader DK Shivakumar has cancelled his planned participation in the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. He announced that he is skipping the event after meeting Rahul Gandhi. DK Shivakumar claimed that he can’t travel to Davos as he has critical party work, including meetings related to the upcoming Assam assembly elections.
Shivakumar, who has been appointed as a senior observer for the Congress party in Assam and heads the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, cited pressing official and political commitments in New Delhi and Bengaluru as the reason for skipping the global summit. According to an official release from his office, he has a series of meetings lined up with All India Congress Committee (AICC) functionaries to discuss election preparations for Assam. He is also leading a statewide campaign against the central government over issues related to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which has prompted a special five-day session of the Karnataka Assembly starting January 22.
The WEF Annual Meeting, running from January 19 to 23 under the theme “A Spirit of Dialogue,” brings together global leaders, policymakers, and business executives to address economic, geopolitical, and technological challenges.
While the Karnataka Deputy CM is skipping the event for Assam elections, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is proceeding with his visit to Davos, marking the state’s debut at the prestigious forum. Leading a high-level delegation, Sarma aims to showcase Assam’s impressive economic progress, including a 45% growth over the past five years, and highlight investment opportunities in sectors such as manufacturing, semiconductors, logistics, renewables, and pro-business policies. This participation is part of a broader effort to attract global investments and position Assam as a rising economic hub in India’s Northeast.
Assam is one of several Indian states sending strong representations to Davos this year, along with chief ministers from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Jharkhand. Apart from the 6 CMs, 4 union ministers, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Pralhad Joshi, and K Rammohan Naidu, are also attending. India’s presence includes a dedicated pavilion for investor engagements.
The Assam Assembly elections are due by May 2026, and are expected to be announced by the second half of February. Himanta Biswa Sarma is expected to retain power with the stellar track record of his government. BJP has already started working for the elections, with PM Narendra Modi already visiting the state twice in two months, and another visit scheduled next month.
CM Himanta Sarma has accelerated the completion of work on welfare schemes and distribution of appointment letters, in an effort to achieve as much as possible before ECI announces elections. In contrast, while the opposition parties are expected form an alliance under the leadership of Congress, they have not been able to reach an agreement yet.
