Is Siddaramaiah set to resign as Karnataka CM, making way for Shivakumar? The power tussle, explained

The state of Karnataka may soon see new leadership. After months of speculation and conjecture, the tussle between the Congress unit’s two senior-most leaders — Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar — seems to have been resolved.

Siddaramaiah is likely to step down on Thursday (May 28), paving the way for DK Shivakumar to take over the state’s top post. Rumours are buzzing that Siddaramaiah has been offered a national role, though it remains to be seen whether the 77-year-old Congress leader accepts it, as he has always shown a preference for state politics.

But what’s the backstory to this power tussle? What awaits Siddaramaiah as he is expected to shift out of his position as chief minister? We try to unpack the political game that has taken place in the southern state.

A summons to Delhi, marathon meetings, and then…

The current episode began when 77-year-old
Siddaramaiah told the media he had been “summoned” to Delhi. However, he didn’t know the reason for his summons. “I have been summoned to Delhi. I don’t know the subject of discussion. I have a meeting scheduled at 11 am (Tuesday). Speculation will always be there,” said the chief minister on Monday.

Interestingly, Siddaramaiah isn’t accompanied by his deputy,
DK Shivakumar, raising eyebrows. When asked about it, the deputy noted, “Will go to Delhi if the high command calls. Not my job to comment on the chief minister change.”

However, a few hours later, Shivakumar also took a late-night Air India flight to New Delhi.

On Tuesday, Siddaramaiah met Congress general secretaries KC Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala at Congress headquarters, Indira Bhavan, ahead of the meeting with the high command. Earlier in the day, he also held a breakfast meeting with state ministers MB Patil, G Parameshwara, Bhyrati Suresh, Satish Jarakiholi, KJ George, HC Mahadevappa, MLC BK Hariprasad, and Legal Advisor AS Ponnanna at Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, ahead of the meeting with the Congress high command.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, also held a meeting with Siddaramaiah.

After hours and hours of parleys, Congress’s KC Venugopal, flanked by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, emerged in front of reporters.

Taking to the microphone, Venugopal said, “Today, we had a detailed meeting with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. Of course, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar and the general secretary in charge of Karnataka and myself were part of the discussion. The entire discussion was only concentrated on the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and Council elections of Karnataka. Whatever speculation you people are doing that is only speculation, no reality at all.

“Today, we discussed the Rajya Sabha seats and Council seats of Karnataka. The candidates of Rajya Sabha seats and Council seats will be announced along with other seats, like Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan. That’s all we have decided today. Nothing else was discussed today,” he said after a series of meetings spanning six hours.

But insiders say that this seemed to only be part of the story, as the marathon meetings were all held to persuade Siddaramaiah to give up his chair to Shivakumar.

The need to change leadership in Karnataka

This entire power tussle in Karnataka emerges from a 2023 ‘promise’ that the Congress reportedly made to DK Shivakumar. When the Congress stormed to power in May 2023, a discourse began over who would rule the state.

At the time, the Congress high command ended the
deadlock on the CM race, announcing that the two leaders agreed to take turns ruling the state. Since then, the leadership issue between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar have been on the back burner, but still simmering away.

The two leaders have publicly opposed each other on matters, and in January, the issue came to the forefront after the 77-year-old chief minister became the longest-serving leader of the state. And last week, Shivakumar’s supporters put up posters stating ‘next CM’ at Congress offices to celebrate his birthday.

It is reported that earlier Siddaramaiah hasn’t been too keen to give up his chair to DK Shivakumar, noting that he is the only OBC CM among all Congress-ruled states, and replacing him with Shivakumar, who is from the
Vokkaliga community, does not fit well with Rahul Gandhi’s social justice campaign.

Congress’s persuasion game with Siddaramaiah

It seems that persuading Siddaramaiah to give up his chair has been no easy task for the Congress. According to insiders, Siddaramaiah was told by the Congress leadership that he was now needed in the capital as one of the most prominent OBC faces.

“He was told that he is a major OBC face and the party wants him to play a much bigger role nationally in the run-up to the 2029 Lok Sabha elections,” a source was quoted as telling India Today.

Moreover, even Rahul Gandhi reportedly told the 77-year-old that he needed to look beyond Karnataka. During their 35-minute meeting on Tuesday, Gandhi told Siddaramaiah that decisions had to be made keeping the 2028 assembly elections and the 2029 Lok Sabha elections in mind. Gandhi reportedly also told him that he remains the Congress’s biggest OBC face and will have a key role in the party’s national campaign.

According to a News18 report, Siddaramaiah could be moved to Rajya Sabha as part of Congress’s recalibration. Moreover, the Congress also reportedly offered Siddaramaiah’s son Yathindra a possible Cabinet berth.

And it seems that Siddaramaiah continues the bargaining game. An NDTV report states that Siddaramaiah’s camp wants multiple deputy chief ministers under DK Shivakumar if he takes over as chief minister, in a bid to retain a balance of power within the government. The camp is also pushing for a Karnataka Congress chief of its choice as part of the transition formula.

What comes next in Karnataka

It’s not confirmed if Siddaramaiah has accepted the Congress’s offer. As of now, it has been reported that Siddaramaiah has invited his ministers for a breakfast meeting on Thursday. There is speculation that he might announce his resignation at that meeting.

However, some reports have stated that Deputy DK Shivakumar may still not be given the CM’s chair. According to a Hindustan Times report, Congress might offer Mallikarjun Kharge as a compromise candidate as CM, also clearing the way for Rahul Gandhi to push KC Venugopal as the next party chief and open up the central party organisation to a much-needed overhaul. “However, this is the most remote option as of now,” said a leader aware of developments.

As of now, neither leader has said anything, keeping the mystery and speculation alive.

With inputs from agencies