Karnataka Governor Thawarchand Gehlot has accepted Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s resignation, a day after the veteran Congress leader resigned from his post amid ongoing leadership transition in the state.
Gehlot also dissolved the cabinet he headed with immediate effect. Siddaramaiah will continue to serve as Chief Minister until alternative arrangements are made, the notification added.
Siddaramaiah resigned on May 28, saying he was following the directions of the Congress leadership after days of speculation about a change in the top leadership in Karnataka. The resignation was initially handed over to officials at Raj Bhavan as Governor Gehlot was outside Bengaluru at the time.
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“They asked me to go to Rajya Sabha. I politely told them no, saying I want to stay in state politics and am not interested in national politics,” Siddaramaiah told reporters after his resignation.
“I have two more years as MLA. I will serve my people. I will continue in active politics,” he said.
Siddaramaiah’s exit marks the end of his second term as Karnataka Chief Minister, which began after the Congress returned to power in the 2023 Assembly elections.
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On Thursday, during a breakfast meeting with his key Cabinet colleagues, Siddaramaiah named DK Shivakumar as his successor, according to sources. There is no official confirmation in this regard.
In his farewell address, the outgoing Chief Minister said that the decision on the next Chief Minister of Karnataka will be in the hands of the Congress leadership and the Congress Legislature Party (CLP). “Whoever the high command and CLP choose will be the prime minister of the state,” he said.
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The rise of Siddaramaiah’s deputy, Shivakumar, was driven by the organizational strength and confidence of the Congress high command.
“Don K’s rise shows that the party has rewarded his organizational and crisis management skills,” a senior Congress leader said, adding that Shivakumar has also taken up key assignments outside Karnataka. The leader added: “His real test as a public leader begins now.”
(With inputs from HT’s Arun Dave)
