The power struggle inKarnatakaappears to have reached a decisive moment. After weeks of intense speculation over a leadership change in the Congress-ruled state, sources indicate that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is likely to step down on Thursday following direct intervention from the party high command. According to sources familiar with the discussions, the Congress leadership has asked Siddaramaiah to make way for a new face amid mounting pressure from within the party and growing buzz around Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar staking claim to the top post.
The development comes after marathon meetings in Delhi, where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is learnt to have conveyed a blunt message to the veteran Karnataka leader: “You must give the next person a chance.”
Sources said Siddaramaiah responded by saying he would abide by whatever the party decided, but sought “one or two days” before formally tendering his resignation.
In another significant detail, sources revealed that Siddaramaiah was offered a position in the Congress Working Committee as part of the transition plan. However, the Karnataka strongman reportedly declined the offer, making it clear that he does not wish to shift to Delhi politics at this stage.
The latest twist caps months of internal friction within the Karnataka Congress, where murmurs of a rotational chief ministership arrangement between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar have repeatedly surfaced since the party swept the 2023 Assembly elections. While the Congress publicly denied any leadership change for weeks, the intense backchannel negotiations in Delhi reignited speculation over an imminent transition.
Congress, earlier in the day, firmly denied any talks on replacing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, clarifying that the party’s high-level Delhi meeting was focused entirely on upcoming Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council elections. Speaking after the nearly two-hour discussion at the party headquarters, senior Congress leader KC Venugopal dismissed the speculation, saying, “Today’s discussion was only around Rajya Sabha polls and MLC elections. Whatever you speculated is not true.”
“We had a meeting. CM, DCM and Randeep were present. The entire discussion concentrated on Rajya Sabha and MLC seats today. Stop speculation,” Venugopal added.
The meeting, chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at the party’s Indira Bhawan headquarters in Delhi, was attended by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, AICC Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala and senior leader KC Venugopal.
VisitTimes Nowfor theLatest news,India News, and breaking stories from around theWorld.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
