Adani calls on Karnataka CM, sparks political speculation

A meeting between Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani and Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar here on Sunday (August 23, 2026) set off speculation in political circles. While the Chief Minister termed it a courtesy visit, the Adani Group is an interested bidder in the tunnel road project in Bengaluru being pushed by Mr. Shivakumar.

Government sources said that the meeting was unscheduled, and that Mr. Adani, who was attending a private function in Bengaluru South was on his way to the airport, when he dropped in at the Chief Minister’s residence. “It was a courtesy visit since Mr. Shivakumar took over as the Chief Minister recently.”

Incidentally, the Adani Group has emerged as the lowest bidder in the 17.1-km Bengaluru’s North-South twin tube tunnel road connecting Hebbal and Silk Board junction that is estimated to be around ₹17,000 crore. Of the total cost of the project that has been proposed on the build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) model, the government is expected to invest 40% through viability gap funding through a loan from Hudco. The Adani Group is learnt to have quoted just above ₹22,000 crore for the project.

Taking a dig at the Congress, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashok said: “(Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi has called Mr. Adani a BJP agent. However, the Karnataka government has rolled out a red carpet for Mr. Adani. Have the (Central) Congress leaders given permission for this? So, let him advise Mr. Gandhi properly.”

In response, Mr. Shivakumar told presspersons here: “Mr. Adani paid a courtesy visit after I became the Chief Minister.”