The below-par participation in a foreign tour of Karnataka Congress MLAs allied with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, a gathering of party MLAs aligned with Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, a sharp exchange between the CM and Union Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy, and a visit by Robert Vadra to Bengaluru. These developments, ahead of the state Budget’s presentation on March 6, have kept the political pot boiling in the state over the change of guard drama. A planned trip of a group of 20-22 MLAs – largely allied with Siddaramaiah – to Australia and New Zealand on an unofficial tour on February 18 to study dairy practices has resulted in a sub-optimal outcome for the CM’s group on account of only a dozen MLAs joining it, according to government sources.