Amid CM change buzz, Siddaramaiah seeks appointment of Karnataka governor

AConvert of ward in the three-year-old mysore authorities seems imminent with Chief government minister Siddaramaiah seeking the Governor's appointment, a day after he was apparently asked by the party high command to make way for his deputy DK Shivakumar's elevation to the top post, but chose to speak on the matter on Thursday.On a day he is likely to meet Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, apparently to tender his resignation, the 77-year-old veteran on Thursday will also host his cabinet colleagues, including Shivakumar, for breakfast.As the political heat rises in the southern state in anticipation of a new CM, AICC General Secretary in charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala clarified that the Congress has not called for a meeting of its legislature party in the state and that no other decision has been taken yet. He requested the media not to speculate on the issue.The Legislature Party selects its leader, the obvious choice for CM.Surjewala, who arrived here on Wednesday, also met Siddaramaiah and other senior leaders.Intense speculation suggests Siddaramaiah will announce stepping down from the CM post, mostly on Thursday, to make way for Shivakumar.The development follows the Congress high command reportedly asking Siddaramaiah to make way for a leadership change in the state and offering him a central role in the party with a Rajya Sabha seat. As per reports Siddaramaiah has not immediately accepted the central role.Some sources indicate 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.Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were summoned to Delhi on Tuesday by the party, where there were back-to-back meetings at the Congress headquarters involving Rahul Gandhi, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, party General Secretaries K C Venugopal and Surjewala.Keeping up the suspense, the 77-year-old Siddaramaiah refused to comment on the raging speculations on Wednesday and said he would speak on the matter a day later.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.Also Read | Siddaramaiah ‘pushed’ to step aside amid Congress huddle in Delhi, weighing optionsAccording to sources, a number of ministers and legislators met Siddaramaiah at his residence and held discussions with him.They insisted he should not resign and said they would discuss the matter with the party high command.As per reports, some even suggested the matter be discussed at a legislature party meeting, but Siddaramaiah did not respond positively to any such suggestions.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.Meanwhile, the Karnataka State Federation of Backward Class Communities warned the Congress and its high command that the party will face consequences if Siddaramaiah is replaced.Asserting that Congress came to power because of the support of backward class and AHINDA (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits) communities, federation leaders said there is no other leader of Siddaramaiah's stature in the Congress party, and warned of agitation if he is made to step down.Meanwhile, the Shivakumar camp was jubilant and his supporters broke into celebration in many parts of the state, including Bengaluru and Ramanagara, amid reports that their leader was all set to become the next CM. Supporters of Siddaramaiah gathered outside his official residence, protesting amid intense speculation that he may step down.Shivakumar, who is in Delhi, was initially scheduled to return to Bengaluru this afternoon. As per his revised travel plan he will leave the national capital early on Thursday and will attend the breakfast meeting at the CM's official residence here.Amid the resignation buzz, Siddaramaiah on Wednesday visited Vidhana Soudha and paid floral tributes to the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru there on his death anniversary. He later in the evening received the Karnataka State BC commission's "socio-economic and educational survey,' report popularly known as "caste "census report", one of his government's key initiatives.According to official sources, some of his office and secretariat staff greeted the chief minister emotionally at Vidhana Soudha, and the scene resembled last day in office.Meanwhile, taking a dig at the ruling party, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra claimed that the Congress high command's possible "decision" was to replace Chief Minister Siddaramaiah after concluding that the state government had "failed" to provide good governance during the last three years.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.