Inside Track: Backroom Meetings That Led To Siddaramaiah's Resignation

In the end, Siddaramaiah had to relent. 

Despite persistent public declarations that he will complete the full term, Siddaramaiah on Thursday decided to resign as Karnataka Chief Minister. 

DK Shivakumar, his Deputy and challenger, is the likely beneficiary of this big change in the state. 

The 78-year-old leader, who will be 80 by the time the next state elections roll on, invited his cabinet collegaues for a breakfast meeting this morning and broke the news to them. 

Two days ago, the Congress high command directed the two-time Chief Minister to step down. Today's development is in line with that directive.

"The high command directed me two days ago to step down, and accordingly I submitted my resignation today. I got the opportunity to serve the people of Karnataka twice, for which I thank Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge," he said after submitting his resignation to the Governor's office. 

In January this year, Siddaramaiah made history by becoming the longest-serving Chief Minister of Karnataka, surpassing the previous record held by Congress stalwart D Devaraj Urs.

Hailing from a backward caste, Siddaramaiah commands a significant mass base, particularly among Dalits and minorities. 

However, sources say that the Congress leadership had not been receiving positive feedback regarding his second term.

An administration fatigue, it appeared, had set in. 

With the next state election two years away, anti-incumbency was also a factor.

Considering all the feedback, a change had to be made.

But the party waited for an opening. 

As soon as the assembly elections in five states, including Kerala and Tamil Nadu, ended and the notification for the Rajya Sabha elections was issued, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar were summoned to Delhi.

A Rajya Sabha offer was made to Siddaramaiah by Rahul Gandhi, sources said. Rahul Gandhi, sources said, conveyed to the leader that he should resign and make way for the next generation of leadership. 

Siddaramaiah was also assured that his loyalists would be accorded adequate representation within both the new government and the state party organisation, sources said.

Once Siddaramaiah realised that the Congress High Command had already made up its mind, he gave his consent to step down, the sources said. 

According to sources, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were also in favour of this change. This was also the opinion of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who comes from Karnataka.

In 2023, when the Congress party secured 136 seats in the state's 224-seat Legislative Assembly, DK Shivakumar was the party's state president. With Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi backing him, Siddaramaiah prevailed, becoming the Chief Minister.

DK Shivakumar was offered the position of Deputy Chief Minister and asked to wait for his turn. 

Reports at the time suggested a compromise based on a "rotational chief minister formula," was agreed upon under which Shivakumar would become the Chief Minister after two-and-a-half years. 

However, this was never officially acknowledged. 

In November last, as soon as the Siddaramaiah government completed its two-and-a-half-year mark, the DK Shivakumar camp began exerting pressure on Delhi. 

On the other hand, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was pushing for a cabinet reshuffle following the completion of the half-term. 

At that juncture, acting on Rahul Gandhi's instructions, Congress General Secretary (Organization) KC Venugopal urged both leaders to exercise patience, stating that the party leadership would take a decision at an appropriate time.

The Delhi meeting followed. 

Siddaramaiah And DK Shivakumar arrived separately in the national capital.

In closed-room deliberations, it was made clear to the veteran leader that he has to make way for Shivakumar. 

Earlier today, with Siddaramaiah resigning, decks were cleared for DK Shivakumar.

Those close to Shivakumar claim that he promise regarding the 50-50 split of the tenure (two and a half years each) has ultimately been fulfilled, even if it was delayed by another six months.

The question that arises is how did Siddaramaiah yield when he had the support of over a 100 legislators? 

According to sources, he had, in fact, realised that if he failed to heed the Congress leadership, the party's legislators might drift away from him. 

The legislators, sources say, could sense the public's growing resentment against their government. This was despite the fact that the Congress had recently achieved a clean sweep in the assembly by-elections held for two seats in Karnataka.

Those close to Siddaramaiah state that he gracefully acceded to Rahul Gandhi's wishes, largely because Sonia Gandhi had elevated him to the post of Chief Minister, a remarkable gesture, considering he had originally joined the party from a rival political outfit, the JDS.

Emotional scenes unfolded at Siddaramaiah's official residence, as a large group of supporters almost surrounded him, asking him not to resign. 

"I have no interest in national politics," Siddaramaiah said, underscoring he is not taking the Rajya Sabha route.