Siddaramaiah to resign as Karnataka CM after meet with Shivakumar
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Bengaluru: In a major political development in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday announced his decision to tender his resignation following a breakfast meeting hosted at his official residence ‘Kaveri’ in Bengaluru.
An official statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said Siddaramaiah would visit Lok Bhavan at 2.30 p.m. and later address a press conference at his other official residence, ‘Krishna’, at 3 p.m.
State Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs H.K. Patil, speaking after attending the breakfast meeting, confirmed the development, saying, “CM is going to Raj Bhavan. CM Siddaramaiah will make Shivakumar the new CM.”
Sources said the announcement was made during the breakfast meeting with cabinet colleagues, where Siddaramaiah reportedly stated that he would submit his resignation by 3 p.m. He was described as calm and composed while informing colleagues and later planned to proceed to Lok Bhavan to formally submit his resignation.
Congress insiders further indicated that Siddaramaiah would propose Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s name for the Chief Minister’s post at the Congress Legislature Party meeting, which is yet to be scheduled by the party leadership.
The development comes amid intense speculation over a leadership change in Karnataka, with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar meeting earlier in the day over breakfast at ‘Kaveri’.
Shivakumar, widely seen as a strong contender for the top post, arrived at the residence along with several cabinet ministers and senior Congress leaders close to Siddaramaiah. He was warmly received by the Chief Minister, and later touched Siddaramaiah’s feet as a mark of respect before the two leaders embraced.
Photographs of the interaction, released by both camps, quickly went viral on social media, with party sources suggesting they were deliberately shared to project unity and coordination within the Karnataka Congress leadership.
Several cabinet ministers and MLAs considered close to Siddaramaiah also attended the breakfast meeting.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot left Bengaluru amid the political developments, triggering further speculation. However, Congress sources clarified that the Governor’s absence would not impact the resignation process.
Party leaders said Siddaramaiah has been instructed to submit his resignation to the Governor’s office even in his absence, and the timeline will proceed as planned without any change.
With IANS inputs