Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah tells cabinet he will step down amid leadership buzz

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah informed his cabinet colleagues of his decision to step down during a breakfast meeting at his residence, official sources said on Thursday. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is being seen as a possible successor, was among those present at the meeting.

The development comes amid intense political activity in the state over a possible change in leadership. Pictures shared by the Chief Minister's Office showed Siddaramaiah hugging an emotional Shivakumar, while another picture showed Shivakumar touching Siddaramaiah's feet and taking his blessings.

According to sources in the Chief Minister's Office, Siddaramaiah sought an appointment with the Governor after the party high command apparently asked him to make way for a leadership change in the state. However, Lok Bhavan sources said Siddaramaiah had not yet sought time to meet Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, who has left for his native place, Indore, for personal reasons.

The move follows reports that the Congress high command had asked Siddaramaiah to step aside and offered him a central role in the party along with a Rajya Sabha seat. Reports said Siddaramaiah did not immediately accept the central role. Some sources indicated that he may have decided to step down because the message came directly from senior party leader Rahul Gandhi. Siddaramaiah has repeatedly said that he would step down if the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha asked him to do so.

As speculation over the next Chief Minister gathered pace, AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala said on Wednesday that the Congress had not called a meeting of its legislature party in the state and that no other decision had been taken yet. He asked the media not to speculate on the issue. The Legislature Party selects its leader, who is the obvious choice for the Chief Minister's post. Surjewala, who arrived in Bengaluru on Wednesday, also met Siddaramaiah and other senior leaders.

Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were summoned to Delhi on Tuesday by the party, where back-to-back meetings were held at the Congress headquarters with Rahul Gandhi, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, and party general secretaries K C Venugopal and Surjewala. The latest developments have added to expectations of a leadership change in Karnataka, even though the party has said that no formal decision has yet been taken.

(With inputs from PTI)