Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani on Sunday met Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar in Bengaluru in what the chief minister's office described as a courtesy meeting.

The meeting lasted around an hour and took place at Shivakumar's residence in Sadashivanagar, reported. Adani had visited the Art of Living and met the chief minister while returning to the airport, according to sources cited by the news agency.

Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar said the meeting was Adani's first such visit since he became chief minister.

"After I became the chief minister, this was the first time he (Adani) wanted to come and meet me here. They are carrying out several businesses here. He came to meet me out of courtesy," Shivakumar said, according to .

It was the first reported meeting between Adani and Shivakumar since Adani Enterprises emerged as the lowest bidder for the proposed 17-km underground corridor connecting Hebbal in north Bengaluru with Silk Board in the south.

Adani Enterprises emerged as the lowest bidder for the project, which is being planned in two packages by Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE).

However, according to reports, the tender has not yet been officially finalised. Adani's bid was reportedly around ₹4,600 crore higher than the government's estimated project cost. The Karnataka government has estimated its cost at around ₹17,698 crore.

The project is one of CM Shivakumar's many infrastructure proposals to decongest one of the city's busiest routes.

Karnataka has proposed a public-private partnership model under which the state government would contribute 40% of the estimated project cost, with the successful bidder expected to fund the rest.

The meeting also drew political reactions with BJP criticizing Congress, the party has been opposing the project with party MP Tejasvi Surya even approaching the Karnataka High Court over the issue.

The project has also faced opposition from citizen groups over its utility and financial viability, including concerns about the potential toll burden on motorists

Karnataka assembly Leader of Opposition R Ashoka accused the Congress of following different approaches towards Adani in Karnataka and at the national level.

"Congress opposes Adani in Delhi while in Karnataka it is in his favour. Isn't this a double standard," Ashoka said, according to .

He alleged that the Karnataka government had "laid out a red carpet" for Adani and questioned whether Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had given Shivakumar permission to meet the industrialist.

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