Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will resign tomorrow, reports say
What's the story
Karnataka is on the brink of a major political shift, with multiple reports claiming that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will resign on Thursday. Sources told India Today that Siddaramaiah is expected to tender his resignation at around 11:00am on Thursday. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is expected to be his successor if the leadership change takes place.
Political speculation
Siddaramaiah seeks appointment with Karnataka governor
Further fueling the speculation, Siddaramaiah has sought an appointment with Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot for May 28. Congress insiders believe he may resign during this meeting. On Thursday morning, he is also expected to host a breakfast meeting for his entire cabinet at his Bengaluru residence. This has intensified rumors of an imminent leadership change in the Congress-ruled state.
Leadership transition
Randeep Surjewala to arrive in Bengaluru
Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala will also arrive in Bengaluru on Thursday amid these political developments. He is likely to hold consultations with senior Congress leaders as the party works to manage the transition and prevent factional tensions from escalating. The anticipated transition follows days of backchannel negotiations between Karnataka leaders and the Congress high command in Delhi.
Future role
Congress leadership wants Siddaramaiah to shift to national politics
After a party meeting in Delhi on Tuesday, party sources said that the Congress leadership wants Siddaramaiah to shift to national politics through the Rajya Sabha and take on a larger organizational role ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. The party hopes to project him as one of its principal OBC faces nationally as Rahul Gandhi ramps up the Congress's social justice and caste outreach strategy for the next general election.
Leadership change
What Congres says in publicÂ
In public, the Congress has maintained that the discussions were limited to Rajya Sabha and Karnataka Legislative Council elections, with Venugopal stating, "Whatever speculation you people are doing is only speculation; no reality at all." But sources told India Today that the leadership transition in Karnataka remained the central issue during the talks.
Leadership change
Power-sharing tensions in Karnataka
The party leadership has already intervened many times to quell tensions between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar since the Congress came to power. Since the party returned to power in 2023, supporters of Shivakumar have repeatedly claimed that a rotational chief ministership formula had been agreed upon at the time of government formation. The party high command has never confirmed such an arrangement publicly.