Will Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah step down tomorrow? Speculations are rife amid reports suggesting a leadership change in the state, and the Chief Minister seeking time to meet Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on Thursday.
According to PTI sources, Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar has sought time to meet Governor Gehlot on Thursday, a day after he met the Congress High Command in Delhi.
While the main focus of the meeting was to discuss the upcoming Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council elections, sources confirmed to ANI that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held a separate, one-on-one meeting with Siddaramaiah.
“Today, we had a detailed meeting with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and LoP Rahul Gandhi. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, general secretary incharge of Karnataka (Randeep Singh Surjewala), and I were part of the discussion,” Congress general secretary KC Venugopal was quoted by ANI as saying.
He said the entire discussion was “concentrated only on the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and Council Elections of Karnataka.”
Leadership change: Siddaramaiah vs DK Shivakumar
According to multiple reports, Siddaramaiah was asked to make way for his deputy DK Shivakumar to become the next CM of Karnataka.
The potential change of guard falls in line with a 2023 “rotational formula” — the promise was that Siddaramaiah would rule for the first two-and-a-half years and then allow Shivakumar to take over the remaining term.
Siddaramaiah is also likely to host his cabinet colleagues for breakfast on Thursday, and may also call on the Governor with his resignation, PTI reported.
“Yes, he has sought time to meet the Governor tomorrow,” a highly placed source close to the chief minister told PTI. According to sources in the Congress, Siddaramaiah may tender his resignation to Gehlot.
The speculations further intensified following a last-minute change in DK Shivakumar’s schedule.
Shivakumar, who is in Delhi, was initially scheduled to return to Bengaluru this afternoon. He has now revised his programme and will leave the national capital on Thursday.
Deputy CM Shivakumar is also likely to attend the breakfast meeting at the CM’s official residence. Incidentally, the two leaders had hosted each other for breakfast late last year in an apparent effort at breaking the logjam over the leadership tussle.
According to sources, Siddaramaiah might have resolved to step down as the message came directly from top party leader Rahul Gandhi. The CM had been repeatedly saying that he would exit if asked by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Speculation about a leadership change in the Karnataka Congress has been brewing since the government completed its two-and-a-half-year tenure last year.
The speculation intensified after the Congress leadership invited Siddaramaiah for discussions. The Congress government in the state has completed three years.
Over the past 18 months, Shivakumar’s supporters have repeatedly claimed that he would soon take over as Chief Minister.
Siddaramaiah maintains stoic silence
Siddaramaiah said on Wednesday that discussions with the Congress high command will be addressed tomorrow (May 28).
When asked specifically about talks with the party high command, Siddaramaiah said, “We will talk about it tomorrow.”
What’s next for Siddaramaiah if he resigns?
ANI sources reportedly said on Tuesday that the leadership conveyed to the Chief Minister the need to pave the way for a potential leadership change in the state.
While no specific deadline has been imposed on the veteran leader, sources indicated that several exit options were placed on the table.
Among the proposals discussed is a move for Siddaramaiah to transition into national politics, potentially through a nomination to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka, ANI reported.
However, a final decision on the matter remains pending. Sources stated that the Congress is expected to arrive at a roadmap only after a second round of deliberations between Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah.
Earlier on Tuesday, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said that party candidates for the Rajya Sabha seats in Karnataka will be announced along with candidates from other states.
Meanwhile, a PTI report claimed that the Congress high command offered Siddaramaiah a central role in the party along with a Rajya Sabha seat in the event of his stepping down, but he has reportedly not accepted the central role immediately.
BJP launches attack on Congress
Amid the ongoing leadership tussle within the ruling Congress in Karnataka, BJP MP and former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday alleged that the administration had “collapsed” under Congress rule.
Bommai told ANI that governance and development work in the state had come to a standstill and said that speculation about a leadership change within the Congress reflected instability in the ruling party.
“The administration in Karnataka has collapsed. No development work is being done. The people are suffering. I don’t think DK Shivakumar has a magic wand to change this. The deterioration which started at the time of Siddaramaiah will continue with Shivakumar. By the end of their term, the govt will be in shambles, and the State will be in a poor condition,” said Bommai.
The former Karnataka Chief Minister further said that replacing an OBC leader from the top post could politically hurt Congress in the 2028 Assembly elections.
“Whenever a chief minister is removed, it has an effect. If an OBC leader is removed, the OBC people will be unhappy. This will create a lot of problems for the Congress in the 2028 assembly elections,” he told ANI.
Meanwhile, Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra hit out at Congress, alleging that the party is “seeing its last days in the country”.
Vijayendra alleged that the Karnataka government under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has incurred a much hefty debt in comparison to the other southern Indian states, calling it an “anti-people government”.
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