Senior ministers of the Karnataka government met at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s official residence on Thursday morning amid growing indications that the party is moving towards a possible transfer of power to Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar after days of consultations involving the Congress leadership in New Delhi.
The closed-door meeting was held at Cauvery, Siddaramaiah’s official residence in Bengaluru, against the backdrop of speculation within the party that the Congress high command had arrived at a decision on a leadership change, though no official announcement had been made either by the party or Raj Bhavan. Follow Karnataka CM news here
Among those who arrived for the breakfast meeting were Ministers Priyank Karg, KJ George, MP Patel, Ramalinga Reddy and HK Patel. Shivakumar was also expected to attend. Security measures were tightened around the headquarters as party leaders continued to arrive until the morning.
Siddaramaiah is expected to make an announcement after the meeting, people familiar with the discussions said. The Prime Minister also sought time to meet Governor Thawarchand Gehlot at Raj Bhavan on Thursday, sparking speculation that he may tender his resignation.
However, uncertainty remained over the timing of any official move as the Governor is away from Bengaluru. Officials said Gehlot left for Indore late on Wednesday evening due to a family emergency and a return schedule was not confirmed until Thursday morning.
However, officials in the Chief Minister’s Office said that Siddaramaiah intends to send his resignation to the Governor’s office.
These developments came in the wake of several rounds of discussions in New Delhi in which Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar and senior Congress leaders participated. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi are understood to have held separate and joint meetings with both leaders as the party mulls its options ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections next month.
At the heart of the internal conflict is Shivakumar’s long-standing quest for the chief minister’s post. His supporters asserted that an understanding had been reached after the 2023 Assembly elections, under which Siddaramaiah would head the government for the first half of the term before handing over responsibility to Shivakumar.
By Wednesday evening, neither the Congress leadership nor Raj Bhavan had officially confirmed any change in leadership. However, senior party leaders privately admitted that Siddaramaiah could tender his resignation on Thursday afternoon.
