- Siddaramaiah resigned as Karnataka Chief Minister to make way for DK Shivakumar
- He declined the Congress high command's offer of a Rajya Sabha seat, preferring state politics
- The central leadership sought Siddaramaiah's exit after securing Tamil Nadu and Kerala
Siddaramaiah, hours after his resignation from the post of Karnataka Chief Minister and making way for deputy DK Shivakumar today, made it clear that he is not interested in a national role. Instead, he said, he would continue in the state politics as an MLA -- a decision the party's central leadership may not have expected.
Read: Inside Track: Backroom Meetings That Led To Siddaramaiah's Resignation
"The Congress high command proposed DKS as the next chief minister... I have agreed to this," Siddaramaiah had said at a breakfast meeting with senior members of his government earlier today. By the evening, the answer to the Rajya Sabha question came, with the 80-year-old rejecting the high command's peace offering.
"The high command told me to 'Go Rajya Sabha' but I have said 'no' to it. I have no interest in national politics. I will be in active politics," said Siddaramaiah, who will be heading for Delhi later today.
Over the last year, Siddaramaiah dug in his heels in the top post despite Team Shivakumar's best efforts to dislodge him. The party's central leadership had not pushed the matter, especially in view of the pending elections in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, where Siddaramaiah's ahinda vote bank - minority communities, backward classes, and Dalits -- was expected to play a role.
But now, with Tamil Nadu and Kerala under its belt, the Congress was ready to move. The push came from Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as well as Sonia Gandhi, amid concerns about Siddaramaiah's age and declining standard of governance, which was seen as sparking anti-incumbency.
For Siddaramaiah, the marching orders came from Rahul Gandhi at a 35-minute tete-e-tete with Siddaramaiah on Tuesday.
"Look beyond Karnataka," was the clear message from Gandhi, packaged with an offer for one the state's three Rajya Sabha seats which would be up for election soon.
Any decision must now be made with the 2028 assembly election and the 2029 Lok Sabha election in mind, sources had quoted Gandhi as telling the two-time Chief Minister.
It was almost the same deal the BJP had offered Nitish Kumar - a five-time Chief Minister who had complete grip on the state and its politics for nearly two decades. Kumar's acceptance had allowed the BJP a fresh start.
For DK Shivakumar, the top post could be fraught. Already, Team Siddaramaiah has been flexing its muscles, demanding multiple slots for Deputy Chief Ministers and plum cabinet posts where a chunk of them can be accommodated. Team DKS has said no.
There is speculation that all this, and more, could be on the high command's plate as Siddaramaiah lands in Delhi later today.
