Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s next political play is expected to take place today, after a breakfast meeting with his deputy, DK Shivakumar, and his Cabinet colleagues. This comes amid talk that the Congress leadership is preparing for the transfer of power in the state.
As HT reported earlier, Congress MLA Ashok K Pattan said Siddaramaiah “may resign after 3 pm on Thursday” after a meeting with Governor Thawarchand Gehlot.
The Congress leader also said it was “100% likely” that Shivakumar would take charge. “He (Siddaramaiah) has already got an appointment with the governor. About the next chief minister, the high command will decide,” Pathan told reporters.
The Congress leadership is considering multiple options if Siddaramaiah steps down, one of which is a Cabinet structure with multiple deputy chief ministers, HT found out.
Senior lawmaker R V Deshpande also claimed that the Prime Minister has already told his colleagues that he has “decided to resign”.
Read also: Mallikarjun Kharge, not DK Shivakumar to be president if Siddaramaiah steps away? Karnataka conflict within
Delhi meetings fuel leadership change
Speculation mounted after marathon meetings in Delhi on Tuesday that included Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar, Congress president Mallikarjun Karge, LoP Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala.
While the Congress officially said the discussions were focused on the upcoming Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council elections, people familiar with the matter told HT that the party leadership was pushing for a “devolution of power” in Karnataka.
According to people familiar with the developments, Siddaramaiah is likely to meet Governor Thawarchand Gehlot later today after a breakfast meeting at his official residence, which may also be attended by senior party leaders.
“I will speak tomorrow,” Siddaramaiah had said on Wednesday after offering flowers in honor of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his death anniversary.
“He may resign after three o’clock in the afternoon.”
Pathan, one of the first Congress members to publicly indicate a possible resignation, told reporters that the prime minister had already sought an appointment with the governor.
“The chief minister may resign after 3 pm on Thursday. He has already taken an appointment with the governor. On the next chief minister, the high command will decide,” Pathan said, as reported by HT earlier.
Asked if Shivakumar was likely to become the next chief minister, he added: “Yes, there is a 100 per cent possibility.”
Deshpande also suggested that Siddaramaiah privately convey his decision to step down. “I was with the prime minister. He said: ‘I have decided to resign.’ I did not ask him why he resigned. We tried to convince him, saying: ‘Why don’t you continue?’” Deshpande said.
“We said the decision was a surprise to us, but he said: ‘No, I have decided to resign.’” He added that the army officers who were there wanted him to continue, but he said that he had given his word to the high command and would respect it.
Read also – Rajya Sabha likely to move from Siddaramaiah, but Shivakumar may not be Speaker: What’s next for Karnataka?
Congress denies final decision
However, Congress continued to deny making a final decision.
“At present, the Congress has not called a meeting of the legislative party. No further decision has been taken yet. As things develop, we will inform you,” Surjewala said in Bengaluru on Wednesday, as quoted by HT.
“I want to assure every brother and sister in Karnataka, and every Kannadiga, that the only decision we will take will be in the interest of the people of Karnataka,” he added.
Surjewala also praised both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, saying any final decision by the party leadership would be “in the interest of Karnataka, not in the interest of individuals”.
Shivakumar’s supporters celebrate
Shivakumar avoided directly responding to questions about whether he was set to take over as chief minister. After arriving in Delhi, he smiled briefly at reporters before leaving in his car, PTI reported.
Amid growing speculation, Shivakumar’s supporters celebrated in several parts of Karnataka on Wednesday, setting off firecrackers and distributing sweets outside his residence in Bengaluru and in Ramanagara district.
A supporter described the Deputy Prime Minister as a “strong and decisive leader”, pointing to his role in Congress’ victory in the 2023 Lok Sabha elections.
The current round of speculation dates back to the Congress’s 2023 win in Karnataka, when reports first spoke of a possible arrangement to rotate the chief minister between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. Shivakumar eventually settled on the post of Deputy Chief Minister.
Rajya Sabha format
The Congress has now explored a possible formula under which Siddaramaiah could move to the Rajya Sabha, while his son Yatindra Siddaramaiah could be absorbed into the Karnataka government, people familiar with the matter told HT.
Four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka, including the one currently held by Karg, are scheduled to go to the polls in June. Congress is expected to win at least three.
Home Minister G Parameshwara, whose name has occasionally cropped up in discussions for the top post, said, “The party high command called the Prime Minister, and he met Congress president Rahul Gandhi and general secretaries at the AICC headquarters for about three to four hours. What was discussed inside, none of us know. There is a lot of speculation in the media,” PTI reported.
PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi also said that clarity is expected after the breakfast meeting on Thursday. “Officially, nothing has been said, but still speculation continues. Depending on what the Prime Minister says in the breakfast meeting tomorrow, things will be confirmed and speculation can be put to a complete end,” Jarkiholi told PTI.
(With inputs from Sunetra Choudhary, Arun Dave and agencies)
