- Congress leaders discuss Karnataka leadership amid Siddaramaiah's reluctance for Rajya Sabha post
- Siddaramaiah may resign Thursday afternoon, enabling DK Shivakumar's chief ministership
- Rahul Gandhi urged Siddaramaiah to focus on national politics and future elections
Congress offices and leaders' residences turned into sites for hectic parleys, but the terms on which the Karnataka leadership transition will proceed became further engulfed in questions on Thursday as sources said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is not interested in taking up a Rajya Sabha post.
Congress leaders asserted that the two-time Chief Minister Siddaramaiah may resign after 3 pm today, paving way for a smooth transition for his deputy DK Shivakumar to take up the chief ministerial post. Per sources, Siddaramaiah wants to continue as an MLA for the next two years instead of moving to national politics. He is likely to discuss nuances of the transition during discussions with top party leadership in Delhi this evening.
Of the three seats to the Upper House that are up for grabs in the state, Congress has offered one to Siddaramaiah. The second will likely go to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, who is a sitting MP from the state, and the third to DK Shivakumar's brother DK Suresh, according to the sources.
To placate Siddaramaiah, Congress' Rahul Gandhi had told him during a 35-minute meeting that he was among the party's biggest OBC faces and it was time he focussed on the national picture. He made it clear that change is inevitable, according to sources. Decisions must be made keeping in mind the 2028 Assembly election and the 2029 Lok Sabha election.
Over Monday and Tuesday, the two leaders travelled to Delhi separately and held a series of meetings over a span of nearly six hours. "The entire discussion was only concentrated on the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and Council elections of Karnataka. Whatever speculation you people are doing, that is only speculation, no reality at all," Congress MP KC Venugopal told reporters, hours before it became clear that Shivakumar will ascend to the top state post.
Sources told NDTV that in the Shivakumar government, likely to take oath on Saturday, Siddaramaiah aides will likely get key posts.
But will the transition be smooth? After arriving in Bengaluru on Wednesday, the chief minister refused to comment on the Delhi meetings and reported change of guard. "I will speak tomorrow," was his only response to the reporters' questions. His comment came amid sources saying the Siddaramaiah camp may seek multiple deputy chief ministers apart from giving Shivakumar's state party chief to the current chief minister. Shivakumar though may not be open to having more than one deputy.
A breakfast meeting between the two might make matters clearer. It offers a throwback to two similar meetings between Siddarmaiah and Shivakumar in December within four days after the part high command had instructed them to resolve an impasse and send out a mesage of unity.
The transition comes after months of speculation over a government reshuffle in Karnataka, with Shivakumar supporters repeatedly highlighting the leader's role in the Congress' electoral victory in the state and a "promise" of a rotational leadership for the two for two-and-a-half years each. Siddaramaiah and his deputy both emerged as frontrunners for the chief ministerial post when the party won the 2023 Assembly poll. When the former was picked, tense relations became more strained. Talks continued to be stalled, till as recently as the Kerala and Tamil Nadu elections. Unrelenting Shivakumar supporters renewed their 'Next CM' demand at party offices and events.
But even as Siddaramaiah readies to submit his resignation, another delay lurks. Karnataka Governor Thawarchand Gehlot left for Mumbai early morning after a relative fell ill. This means that while decisions over the next move might be heading in a more decisive direction, the timing of it remains a question.
