Siddaramaiah hosts breakfast for cabinet colleagues, amid buzz over his exit as Karnataka CM

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hosted a breakfast meeting for his cabinet colleagues at his official residence in Bengaluru on Thursday intensifying speculation over a possible leadership change in the state Congress government reported PTIDeputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar widely seen as the frontrunner to succeed Siddaramaiah attended the meeting along with several cabinet ministers and senior leadersThe gathering came amid mounting political chatter that Siddaramaiah could step down as chief minister following directions from the Congress high commandPictures from breakfast meeting fuel speculationPhotographs released by the Chief Ministerrsquos Office added to the political buzz surrounding the meetingIn one of the images Siddaramaiah was seen warmly embracing Shivakumar while another showed Shivakumar touching the chief ministerrsquos feet and seeking his blessings reported PTIThe symbolic gestures immediately triggered fresh speculation within political circles that the Congress may be preparing for a formal transition of power in KarnatakaSources within the Chief Ministerrsquos Office told PTI that Siddaramaiah had sought an appointment with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot after reportedly being asked by the party leadership to make way for a leadership changeHowever Raj Bhavan sources later told PTI that no official request for a meeting had yet been received adding that the Governor had travelled to his hometown Indore for personal reasonsCongress leadership yet to make formal announcementDespite the intense speculation the Congress leadership has not officially announced any decision regarding a change of chief ministerAICC General Secretary in charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala on Wednesday urged the media not to speculate on the issue and clarified that no meeting of the Congress Legislature Party had been called so far reported PTIThe Legislature Party meeting is significant because it formally elects the partyrsquos leader in the Assembly who then becomes the chief ministerSurjewala who arrived in Bengaluru on Wednesday met Siddaramaiah and several senior Congress leaders amid the ongoing political developments reported PTIThe current developments follow reports that the Congress high command had proposed a nationallevel role for Siddaramaiah along with a Rajya Sabha seat as part of a possible leadership transitionHowever reports suggest that Siddaramaiah has not immediately agreed to the proposalRahul Gandhirsquos role seen as crucialThe chief minister had previously stated on multiple occasions that he would step down if Rahul Gandhi personally asked him to do soBoth Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were summoned to New Delhi earlier this week where a series of meetings took place at the Congress headquartersThe discussions reportedly involved Rahul Gandhi Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh SurjewalaThe leadership tussle between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar has continued since the Congress came to power in Karnataka after winning the Assembly elections in May 2023Supporters divided over possible leadership changeAs speculation intensified supporters from both camps reacted strongly across KarnatakaShivakumar supporters celebrated in several parts of the state including Bengaluru and Ramanagara amid expectations that he could soon take over as chief minister reported PTIAt the same time supporters of Siddaramaiah gathered outside his official residence to express solidarity and protest against reports of his possible exitThe Karnataka State Federation of Backward Class Communities also warned the Congress leadership against replacing Siddaramaiah reported PTIFederation leaders argued that the Congress returned to power due to the support of backward classes minorities and Dalits under Siddaramaiahrsquos AHINDA social coalition model reported PTIThey claimed there was no other leader within the party with Siddaramaiahrsquos mass appeal and warned of protests if he was forced to step downRotational chief minister formula back in focusThe latest political developments have once again revived discussion around the reported ldquorotational chief minister formulardquo within the Karnataka CongressAfter the 2023 Assembly election victory there was intense competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the chief ministerrsquos postThe Congress leadership eventually appointed Siddaramaiah as chief minister while Shivakumar was made deputy chief minister and state Congress presidentAlthough party leaders never officially confirmed it there were persistent reports at the time that a compromise formula had been worked out under which Shivakumar would assume the chief ministerrsquos post after twoandahalf yearsInterestingly pictures from Thursdayrsquos breakfast meeting also showed Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar sharing a traditional South Indian breakfast that included idlis vadas sambar chutney bisi bele bath and kesari baat even as political uncertainty continued to dominate Karnatakarsquos political landscapeWith inputs from PTI