Breakfast meet and Governor appointment today: Will Siddaramaiah make way for DK Shivakumar in Karnataka?

Speculation over a change of guard in the Congress government in Karnataka may finally end today, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expected to announce whether he will step down from the top post.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is scheduled to attend a breakfast meeting called by Siddaramaiah at the CM's residence in Kaveri, Bengaluru today.

Shivakumar is speculated to replace 77-year-old Siddaramaiah as next CM of Karnataka.

Siddamaraiah is likely to meet governor Thawarchand Gehlot in the afternoon after the breakfast meeting adding to the speculation. “I will speak tomorrow,” the CM said, after paying floral tributes to former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his death anniversary on Wednesday.

The Congress party has asked Siddaramaiah to resign, according to multiple media reports on Wednesday, 27 May.

The top leadership of the Congress party met for hours separately with Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar in the national capitalon Tuesday to resolve what was being called a leadership tussle in the state.

Some reports suggested that many formulas were being discussed if Siddaramaiah chose to step aside. One option, the reports said, was of having multiple deputy CMs under the new chief minister.

Congress MLA Ashok K Pattan told reporters that the “CM might resign after 3pm on Thursday”.

“He has already taken an appointment with the governor. About the next CM, the high command will decide,” Pattan told reporters.

Senior Congress MLA and Chairperson of the Administrative Reforms Commission R V Deshpande claimed that Siddaramaiah told him he had decided to resign.

The former minister, who met the CM at his residence, said that when some MLAs insisted he should not resign, Siddaramaiah replied that he had given his word to the high command and would respect it.

The Legislature Party selects its leader, the obvious choice for CM.

Surjewala, who arrived in Bengaluru on Wednesday, also met Siddaramaiah and other senior leaders.

Some sources told news agency PTI that Siddaramaiah may have decided to step down because the message came directly from top party Rahul Gandhi. The CM had repeatedly stated he would step down if the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha asked him to do so.

Home Minister G Parameshwara, whose name has been off-and-on popping up in the context of the CM race, remained tight-lipped about Siddaramaiah's meeting with the Congress high command in Delhi, saying no one knows what was discussed. He also downplayed the buzz around his possible elevation. He said everyone has to abide by the party's decision.

He also predicted mid-term Assembly polls in the state irrespective of who becomes the next chief minister.

The leadership tussle within the ruling party had intensified amid speculation about a possible change of chief minister after the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, 2025.

There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, who is also party state president, for the coveted chief minister's post after the Congress won the May 2023 Assembly election. The party had then managed to convince Shivakuamr and made him the deputy CM.

There were reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational chief minister formula," according to which Shivakumar will become CM after two-and-half years, but they have not been officially confirmed by the party.

(With PTI inputs)