Siddaramaiah informs cabinet colleagues of decision to step down as Karnataka CM

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday informed his cabinet colleagues about his decision to step down from the top post during a breakfast meeting hosted at his official residence in Bengaluru sources told PTIThe development has intensified speculation about an imminent leadership change in Karnataka with Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar emerging as the frontrunner to take over as chief ministerSeveral cabinet ministers attended the breakfast meeting including Shivakumar who has long been seen as a key contender for the statersquos top political postPictures from meeting spark political buzzPhotographs released by the Chief Ministerrsquos Office soon after the meeting further fuelled speculation surrounding the leadership transitionOne image showed Siddaramaiah embracing an emotional D K Shivakumar while another captured Shivakumar touching the chief ministerrsquos feet and seeking his blessingsThe visuals quickly went viral on social media and triggered intense political discussions in Karnataka where uncertainty over the Congress leadership has dominated headlines in recent weeksSources in the Chief Ministerrsquos Office told PTI that Siddaramaiah also sought an appointment with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot after reportedly receiving directions from the Congress high command to facilitate a leadership change in the stateHowever Raj Bhavan sources later told PTI that no formal request for a meeting had yet been received from the chief ministerThe Governor is currently in his hometown Indore for personal reasons sources told PTICongress leadership yet to make official announcementDespite growing indications of a transition the Congress leadership has so far refrained from making any formal announcement regarding a change in chief ministerAICC General Secretary in charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala on Wednesday urged the media not to speculate on the issue and stated that no Congress Legislature Party meeting had been convened yetThe Legislature Party formally elects the leader of the party in the Assembly who then becomes the chief ministerSurjewala who arrived in Bengaluru on Wednesday also held discussions with Siddaramaiah and other senior Congress leaders amid the unfolding political developmentsRahul Gandhirsquos intervention seen as decisiveThe latest developments come after reports that the Congress high command had asked Siddaramaiah to make way for a leadership transition and offered him a larger organisational role at the national level along with a Rajya Sabha seatHowever reports suggest Siddaramaiah did not immediately accept the proposalSources within the party told PTI that Siddaramaiah may have agreed to step aside because the message was conveyed directly by senior Congress leader Rahul GandhiThe chief minister had earlier stated publicly on several occasions that he would step down if Rahul Gandhi personally requested him to do soEarlier this week both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were summoned to New Delhi where multiple rounds of meetings took place at the Congress headquartersThe discussions reportedly involved Rahul Gandhi Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh SurjewalaLeadership tussle dates back to 2023 election victoryThe leadership issue within the Karnataka Congress dates back to the partyrsquos Assembly election victory in May 2023At the time Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were both strong contenders for the chief ministerrsquos post leading to prolonged discussions within the party leadershipThe Congress eventually appointed Siddaramaiah as chief minister while Shivakumar was made deputy chief minister and state Congress presidentAlthough never officially confirmed by the party there were widespread reports that a ldquorotational chief minister formulardquo had been worked out under which Shivakumar would take over after twoandahalf yearsWith the Congress government crossing the halfway mark of its fiveyear term in November 2025 speculation around the possible implementation of that arrangement has intensified in recent monthsWith inputs from PTI