Karnataka appeared headed towards a major political transition on Wednesday as intense speculation grew around Chief Minister Siddaramaiah likely stepping down on Thursday amid mounting pressure within the Congress leadership for a change of guard in the state.
Sources told India Today that Siddaramaiah is expected to tender his resignation at around 11 am on Thursday. The development comes amid indications that Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is the frontrunner to replace him if the leadership transition is formalised.
Fuelling the speculation further, sources in the Chief Minister’s Office confirmed that Siddaramaiah has sought an appointment with Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot for May 28.
Congress insiders indicated that Siddaramaiah could submit his resignation during the meeting with the Governor.
In another significant development, Siddaramaiah is also expected to host a breakfast meeting for the entire Karnataka cabinet at his Bengaluru residence on Thursday morning. The move has intensified political buzz over an imminent leadership change in the Congress-ruled state.
Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala is also scheduled to arrive in Bengaluru on Thursday amid the rapidly evolving political developments.
Sources said Surjewala is likely to hold consultations with senior Congress leaders in Karnataka as the party leadership works to manage the transition and prevent factional tensions from escalating.
It is also learnt that the Congress legislature party is expected to remain divided even if the leadership handover is completed, with rival camps preparing to assert influence over the next phase of the government.
The anticipated transition follows days of backchannel negotiations between Karnataka leaders and the Congress high command in Delhi.
Sources said Siddaramaiah was urged by the party leadership to move to national politics through the Rajya Sabha and take on a larger organisational role ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
The Congress leadership is reportedly keen to project Siddaramaiah as one of the party’s principal OBC faces nationally as Rahul Gandhi sharpens the Congress’s social justice and caste outreach strategy in the run-up to the next general election.
The developments follow marathon meetings in Delhi involving Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala.
While the Congress publicly maintained that the discussions were limited to Rajya Sabha and Karnataka Legislative Council elections, sources indicated that the leadership transition in Karnataka remained the central issue during the talks.
The possible resignation has once again brought the Congress’s unresolved power-sharing tensions in Karnataka into focus. Since the party returned to power in 2023, supporters of DK Shivakumar have repeatedly claimed that a rotational chief ministership formula had been agreed upon at the time of government formation.
Sources said the Congress leadership has attempted to avoid any perception that Siddaramaiah is being forced out, instead presenting the move as a political elevation to the national stage.
The timing is also considered crucial as nominations for the Rajya Sabha elections are scheduled to be filed by June 8, leaving little room for delays in finalising the transition.
Siddaramaiah is believed to have miscalculated the political mood within the Congress high command by remaining overly confident about his position. Sources suggest he strongly believed the leadership would never push for a change and relied heavily on support from Rahul Gandhi.
While the high command was reportedly weighing political options for months, Siddaramaiah’s camp allegedly failed to mount an effective counter-strategy.
Much of the responsibility was delegated to close aides, who continued projecting that the Congress could not survive without him.
He is also said to have underestimated DK Shivakumar’s political outreach and failed to maintain sustained engagement with the party leadership in Delhi.
DK Shivakumar, meanwhile, is seen to have steadily strengthened his position through consistent engagement with the Congress leadership.
Sources say he maintained regular communication with senior leaders and repeatedly reminded them about earlier commitments regarding leadership arrangements.
Unlike his supporters in the past, Shivakumar ensured that loyalist MLAs largely stayed silent publicly, while some aides were even issued show cause notices for controversial statements.
He also maintained continuous meetings with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and emphasised his loyalty and sacrifices for the party.
Sources indicate Shivakumar successfully built trust with both Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during the prolonged negotiations.
Neither Siddaramaiah nor DK Shivakumar has publicly commented on the leadership issue so far, while the Congress continues to officially deny that discussions on replacing the Karnataka Chief Minister have taken place.
Source: India Today
