New Delhi: Not for the first time, the Karnataka Congress leadership drama played out in the national Capital on Tuesday with the central players – chief minister Siddaramaiah and deputy CM DK Shivakumar aka DKS – having closed-door meetings with the party’s high command.
And even though senior leader K C Venugopal played down talk of a change in chief minister, saying that there was “no reality at all in the speculation”, multiple sources said that Karnataka may, indeed, be headed for a major political transition.
Siddaramaiah’s time may finally be running out as the stars seem to be aligning for DKS.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is likely to resign on Thursday. He is expected to address a press conference in Bengaluru on Wednesday amid mounting speculation over a much-rumoured change in leadership, India Today reported quoting sources.
High-stake meetings took place at the Congress headquarters, where Siddaramaiah, DKS, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala were present.
Siddaramaiah, who reportedly had a one-on-one with Rahul, has been asked to take up a national role in the Rajya Sabha, with Shivakumar succeeding him as the chief minister.
There is a high possibility that Siddaramaiah’s son is likely to be appointed the deputy CM of Karnataka.
According to sources, the Congress leadership wants Siddaramaiah to become one of the party’s principal OBC faces nationally as the party focuses on a social justice and caste outreach strategy for the next general election.
Siddaramaiah was assured that all other things and his issues will be taken care of if he agreed to the transition plan.
The possible resignation has once again brought the Congress’s unresolved power-sharing tensions in Karnataka into sharp focus.
Since the Congress regained power in Karnataka in 2023 and Siddaramaiah was named CM, DKS supporters have repeatedly claimed that a rotational chief ministership understanding was reached when the government was formed.
The Congress leadership has not publicly acknowledged such an arrangement, but there has been speculation around a leadership change for around years.
