Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah will resign from his post at 3 pm today, leaders familiar with the matter told HT. The development comes after Siddaramaiah hosted a key breakfast meeting with deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar and senior cabinet colleagues at his official residence in Bengaluru on Thursday morning.
Sources said the chief minister had also sought an appointment with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot later in the day, fuelling speculation that he may formally submit his resignation.
Congress MLA Ashok K Pattan told reporters that the “CM might resign after 3 pm on Thursday” and said there was a “100 per cent possibility” of Shivakumar becoming the next chief minister. Senior Congress MLA R V Deshpande also claimed Siddaramaiah had “decided to resign”.
The Congress leadership, however, has not officially confirmed any change in Karnataka. AICC general secretary Randeep Surjewala on Wednesday said no legislature party meeting had been called and “no decision” had yet been taken regarding the leadership issue.
Speculation around a power-sharing arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar has persisted since the Congress formed the government in Karnataka after the 2023 assembly elections. Reports over the past several months have suggested that Siddaramaiah was expected to complete the first half of the term before handing over charge to Shivakumar.
The buzz intensified after Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar met top Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, in New Delhi earlier this week. Though the party maintained that the discussions focused on Rajya Sabha elections and legislative council polls, multiple Congress MLAs hinted that a decision on leadership transition had effectively been taken.
{{/usCountry}}The buzz intensified after Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar met top Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, in New Delhi earlier this week. Though the party maintained that the discussions focused on Rajya Sabha elections and legislative council polls, multiple Congress MLAs hinted that a decision on leadership transition had effectively been taken.
{{/usCountry}}Supporters of Shivakumar gathered outside his Bengaluru residence on Thursday morning and celebrations were reported in some parts of Karnataka amid expectations that he could soon take over as chief minister.
Siddaramaiah had earlier dismissed speculation over his exit and maintained that the Congress government would complete its full five-year term in Karnataka.