Karnataka leadership buzz grows as CM Siddaramaiah likely to resign, Surjewala heads to Bengaluru

Karnataka's political transition appears to be days away. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is expected to submit his resignation on Thursday and address a press conference in Bengaluru, moves that sources say will formally end two years of simmering power-sharing tensions within the Congress government in the state.

In a sign that the choreography is already underway, Siddaramaiah is also expected to host a breakfast meeting for the full Karnataka cabinet at his residence on Thursday morning. Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala is arriving in Bengaluru on the same day to hold meetings with key party leaders as the high command works to manage the transition and contain factional pressures.

What Delhi told Siddaramaiah

The anticipated resignation follows days of intense backchannel negotiations between Karnataka's leadership and the Congress high command in Delhi. Sources told India Today that Siddaramaiah was urged to move toward national politics, potentially through the Rajya Sabha, and take up a larger organisational role ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress leadership's pitch was specific. The party wants Siddaramaiah to become one of its principal OBC faces nationally as Rahul Gandhi sharpens the party's social justice and caste outreach strategy for the next general election. The veteran leader was told that his political stature would be central to that effort.

Sources said the leadership also gave Siddaramaiah an assurance: "All other things and his issues will be taken care of" if he agreed to the transition plan. The talks involved Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal and Surjewala. While Congress publicly maintained that discussions focused on Rajya Sabha and Karnataka Legislative Council elections, sources said a leadership transition was the central subject of those meetings.

The two-year power-sharing question

Siddaramaiah's expected exit brings back into sharp focus a tension that has run through the Karnataka Congress government since it came to power in 2023. Supporters of DK Shivakumar have repeatedly claimed that a rotational chief ministership arrangement had been agreed upon when the government was formed. The Congress leadership never publicly confirmed such an understanding, but speculation has persisted within the state unit for nearly two years.

With Siddaramaiah now likely to step down, Shivakumar is widely seen as the frontrunner to succeed him. Sources say the Congress leadership has been careful to frame the transition as a political elevation for Siddaramaiah rather than a removal, conscious of the optics of being seen to push out a sitting chief minister.

The clock is ticking

The timing is not incidental. Nominations for the Rajya Sabha elections must be filed by June 8, leaving the party very little room to delay if it wants to move Siddaramaiah to the upper house as part of the transition plan.

Siddaramaiah had earlier asked for more time before making a final decision and has been consulting with close ministers and trusted aides since returning from Delhi. Neither he nor Shivakumar has made any public comment on the leadership issue. The Congress continues to officially deny that any talks on replacing the Karnataka Chief Minister have taken place.