Siddaramaiah resigned as Karnataka chief minister on Thursday, ending months of uncertainty over the Congress Party’s leadership transition in the state, and potentially paving the way for his deputy and rival DK Shivakumar to take office.
Siddaramaiah held a breakfast meeting with his Cabinet colleagues, including Shivakumar, and then drove to Lok Bhavan at 2.45 pm. The resignation letter has been submitted to Prabhu Shankar, private secretary to Governor Tharchand Gehlot, who is currently out of the state and is expected to return later on Friday. It is likely that the resignation will be officially accepted after his return.
In a joint press conference with Shivakumar and state Home Minister G Parameshwara, Siddaramaiah said he acted on the directions of the Congress leadership and would remain active in Karnataka politics. “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 said.
Follow latest updates on Karnataka CM News
“Two days ago, the high command directed me to step down and accordingly I tendered my resignation today. I have had the opportunity to serve the people of Karnataka twice, for which I thank Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge,” he added.
In the evening, both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar headed to Delhi for talks with the party leadership, but thunderstorms in the capital halted the former’s trip in Jaipur. Meanwhile, Shivakumar arrived in the capital late on Thursday night.
The outgoing Prime Minister said he intends to continue as a lawmaker and remain in public life. “I have two more years as MLA. I will serve my people. I will continue in active politics,” he said.
When asked about his successor while sitting next to Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah avoided naming a personal choice. “Whoever the high command and CLP choose will be the prime minister of the state,” he said.
Later, Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil told reporters that Siddaramaiah, before his resignation, had said, “We will make DK Shivakumar the new chief minister.”
Congress leaders are yet to announce the date of the Congress legislative party meeting where Shivakumar is expected to be elected official leader. The governor is expected to return to Bengaluru on Friday, a senior party leader familiar with the discussions said.
Read also: Karnataka Governor accepts Siddaramaiah’s resignation from the post of Chief Minister and dissolves the Cabinet
“The governor is not in the city. The resignation letter has been handed over to his office and to the secretary,” Siddaramaiah said. “Once the prime minister resigns, he will accept it, and letting the next prime minister take charge is his responsibility. We have a majority and allowing the next prime minister to take charge is constitutional.”
After the Congress party scored its biggest victory in a generation in Karnataka in 2023, the government has been mired in tensions over the top job. Siddaramaiah, a two-time chief minister who built a popular coalition of backwards, Dalits and Muslims, propelling the Congress to a rare victory over the BJP, had agreed to the power swap midway through his five-year term, but has so far blocked Shivakumar, the party’s chief reformer and election financier.
The impasse was resolved on Thursday with the state’s longest-serving chief minister stepping down. This came two days after the party leadership summoned both leaders to Delhi and held marathon meetings, with the top leadership pushing Siddaramaiah to step down.
Officially, the party said the discussions are on the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and Karnataka Legislative Assembly polls. But people familiar with the developments said party president Mallikarjun Kharge told Siddaramaiah that the latter needed to step down and make way for new leadership, especially in view of the 2028 Lok Sabha elections. However, the 77-year-old leader refused to yield immediately and instead asked for two days to take a decision. The above persons also said that Siddaramaiah was reluctant to hand over his duties to Shivakumar but Kharge told him that the choice of successor was not his.
After Siddaramaiah’s resignation, attention turned to the formation of the next government with speculation growing about the appointment of several deputy prime ministers. Siddaramaiah’s son Yatindra is expected to enter the cabinet and is also being discussed for the post of deputy chief minister, with supporters arguing that his inclusion could help maintain backward class support. Among the names under consideration are Lingayat leaders MB Patil and Eshwar Khandre, while the names of Parameshwar and Priyank Kharge are being discussed to represent the Scheduled Castes. Muslim representation is also part of the consultations, and among the names being taken into consideration are Tanveer Saeed and N.A. Haris, people familiar with the matter said. HC Mahadevappa’s name also came up in the discussions, the people said.
Earlier in the day, Siddaramaiah addressed ministers and senior Congress leaders during a closed-door meeting at Cauvery, his official residence in Bengaluru. According to the leaders present, he spoke about his discussions with the Congress high command in New Delhi and urged unity during the transfer of power. Among those present were Priyank, KJ George, MP Patel, Ramalinga Reddy, Patel and Shivakumar.
Ministers who attended the meeting said Siddaramaiah informed his colleagues that Shivakumar has been selected as the next chief minister and that the formal process will follow the CLP meeting.
Also Read: ‘No Regrets’: Siddaramaiah will remain active in Karnataka politics
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said Siddaramaiah spoke “gracefully and emotionally” about the recent discussions in New Delhi. “He conveyed what happened in New Delhi, that there will be a changing of the guard here. This shows his maturity and clarity,” Rao said.
Siddaramaiah also sought to allay concerns about divisions within the party following the leadership change, Rao said. “He was clear and told us what the high command said. We are together and we will work together. He said there is no animosity or any mischief. Opposing BJP rule is the challenge ahead of us,” Rao said.
According to the ministers present, Shivakumar also addressed the gathering and said that Siddaramaiah would remain central to the party’s future election campaign plans. “DK Shivakumar also spoke and said that Siddaramaiah is our leader and if we have to win the 2028 elections, we will not be able to win without him,” Rao said.
On Wednesday, Siddaramaiah accepted the report of the socio-economic and educational survey prepared by the Karnataka Backward Classes Commission, commonly referred to as the caste census.
The report, which was first prepared during Siddaramaiah’s previous tenure as chief minister, has been pending since 2017. After returning to office in 2023, Siddaramaiah ordered a fresh survey, and its report was completed this year and submitted by Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission chairman K Madhusudan Nayak.
The timing of this move gave this administrative exercise broader political significance, placing the responsibility for dealing with the report and its consequences on the shoulders of the incoming government, most likely led by Shivakumar.
Opposition leader R Ashoka of the BJP said the Congress government had failed to govern and claimed that there was a strong anti-incumbency mood in Karnataka. “After being reprimanded by the high command and reluctantly moving towards resignation, I thought Siddaramaiah would now at least reflect and regret his policies of appeasement and fake socialism,” he said.
