Karnataka 'nataka' enters a new phase? Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar meets top brass; cabinet berths on radar

NEW DELHI: The political churn in Karnataka appeared far from over even after Siddaramaiah stepped down as chief minister, with the Congress leadership turning its attention to the composition of the next government. A day after his resignation, Siddaramaiah met Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala in Delhi.

"Siddharamaiah met Rahul Gandhi today. It was a very pleasant meeting and they discussed multiple political issues. I have nothing to say further," said Surjewala after the meeting. Both leaders will also meet party chief Mallikarjun Kharge later in the day.According to sources quoted by news agency ANI, the meeting was primarily focused on finalising Rajya Sabha candidates, Legislative Council (MLC) nominations and a potential new cabinet ahead of the swearing-in of the new government.



While the leadership transition appears settled, negotiations over cabinet formation are still underway. Siddaramaiah is expected to push for cabinet berths for his son and key loyalists, while the party leadership weighs the distribution of ministerial portfolios and other important positions in the new dispensation.

Sources further indicated that several ministers from the Siddaramaiah cabinet are unlikely to find a place in the expected DK Shivakumar-led cabinet. The party leadership is also considering appointing four deputy chief ministers to maintain social and regional balance in the new dispensation.

A day after announcing that he would step down as chief minister to pave way for Shivakumar in accordance with the rotational formula agreed upon after the 2023 win, Siddaramaiah expressed his desire to stay in Benglauru than move to Rajya Sabha which was part of an offer pitched by the party high command.

Siddaramaiah's move to "partly agree" with the top brass, while holding his ground on not moving to the Rajdhaani for national politics largely suggests that the deveopment may mutate to become a complex situation.

At a presser on Thursday, the 77-year-old publicly confirmed that he had "humbly" declined the party brass’s offer of “a national role” through a Rajya Sabha nomination so that he could “remain active in state politics”. He has been CM for a little over three years since being sworn in for his second stint on May 20, 2023.

As planned, Siddaramaiah hosted a breakfast meeting with his cabinet colleagues, including his deputy and unofficial CM-in-waiting DK Shivakumar, at his official residence before handing in his resignation. Hugs, tears and apologies followed.

Shivakumar had a closed-door meeting with the outgoing CM before the larger gathering assembled, embraced him and even touched his feet.

For almost two hours, the ministers huddled around Siddaramaiah as he articulated the reason for his decision to resign after five decades in active politics. “I have no regrets. I am resigning wholeheartedly,” he told his colleagues.

He informally mentioned Shivakumar would take over, in line with what the party brass wanted, sources said. However, during the farewell presser, Siddaramaiah evaded questions about his successor even as Shivakumar sat beside him, smiling through the interaction. “Whoever the legislature party and the high command decide will be the chief minister,” he said.

The Congress high command is expected to convene a CLP meeting in Bengaluru after governor Thaawarchand Gehlot accepts Siddaramaiah’s resignation, possibly Friday. The outgoing CM visited Lok Bhavan around 3pm to put in his papers. Since the governor was out of town, he handed over the resignation to the Lok Bhavan special secretary, which was accepted on Friday morning.