Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has been appointed as a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s apex decision-making body, days after he relinquished the post of Karnataka Chief Minister to pave the way for DK Shivakumar.
Siddaramaiah, 77, resigned from his post as chief minister on May 28, saying the Congress high command had asked him to step down to make way for his deputy Shivakumar, or DKS.
The move ended a long power struggle dating back to the party’s victory in 2023, when the two leaders were betting on the top job.
Last month, the high command reportedly offered Siddaramaiah a central role in the party. The CWC berth is now moving in this direction.
Shivakumar (64) was unanimously elected leader of the Congress Legislative Party, paving the way for him to become chief minister, with him being sworn in on June 3 in Bengaluru.
Notably, Siddaramaiah himself suggested Shivakumar’s name at the CLP meeting, while G Parameshwara supported him. A resolution hailing Siddaramaiah’s tenure was taken by Shivakumar.
The CWC appointment marks Siddaramaiah’s return to the body after a gap.
He was inducted into the CWC under then party president Rahul Gandhi’s reconstitution in 2018, but was stripped of that membership in 2019 when he was appointed Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly.
Siddaramaiah meets Kunj’s senior officers along with Shivakumar
Earlier in the day, Siddaramaiah, along with Karnataka Chief Minister-designate Shivakumar, met senior Congress leaders and held discussions on the new government in the state.
Shivakumar is scheduled to take oath as Karnataka Chief Minister on June 3 in Bengaluru, in the presence of Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. He will be sworn in alongside a small government that will be expanded later, news agency PTI reported.
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar also separately met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. The meeting was also attended by party general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal and AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala. The leaders have reportedly hammered out the finer details of the formation of the Karnataka government.
Siddaramaiah’s son Yatindra in line for the Karnataka Cabinet berth
Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah’s son Yatindra has also thrown his hat into the ring for a seat in the cabinet, according to an earlier HT report. The ministerial position was part of the internal power-sharing understanding reached when the Congress formed the state government in 2023, people familiar with the matter said.
Yatindra, a member of the state legislative council, rejected suggestions that Siddaramaiah had sought a ministerial berth for him during discussions with the party leadership. He said that senior leaders support his appointment.
