Siddaramaiah has 'decided to resign', 100% likely Shivakumar may become Karnataka CM: Congress MLAs

KArnataka chief government minister Siddaramaiah’s next political recreate is expected to be set come out today, invigorated off a breakfast meeting with his deputy, DK Shivakumar, and cabinet colleagues. This comes amid chatter that the Congress leadership is preparing for a transition of power in the state.As reported by HT earlier, Congress MLA Ashok K Pattan has said Siddaramaiah “might resign after 3pm on Thursday” following a meeting with governor Thawarchand Gehlot.The Congress leader also said it was “100% likely” that Shivakumar may take over. “He (Siddaramaiah) has already taken an appointment with the governor. About the next CM, the high command will decide,” Pattan told reporters.The Congress leadership is weighing multiple options in the event Siddaramaiah steps down, one of them being a cabinet structure with several deputy CMs, HT has found.Senior legislator RV Deshpande also claimed the chief minister already told colleagues he had “decided to resign”.ALSO READ: Mallikarjun Kharge, not DK Shivakumar to be CM if Siddaramaiah steps away? Inside Karnataka tussleDelhi meetings fuel leadership change buzzThe speculation grew after marathon meetings in Delhi on Tuesday involving Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, LoP Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala.While the Congress officially said that discussions were focused on the upcoming Rajya Sabha and legislative council elections, people aware of the matter told HT that the party leadership was pushing for a “transfer of power” in Karnataka.According to people familiar with the developments, Siddaramaiah is likely to meet governor Thawarchand Gehlot later today after the breakfast meeting at his official residence, which may also be attended by senior party leaders.“I will speak tomorrow,” Siddaramaiah had said on Wednesday after paying floral tributes to former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his death anniversary.‘Might resign after 3pm’Pattan, one of the first Congress MLAs to publicly indicate a possible resignation, told reporters that the chief minister had already sought an appointment with the governor.“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 said, as reported by HT earlier.Asked whether Shivakumar was likely to become the next chief minister, he added, “Yes, there is a 100 per cent possibility.”Deshpande also suggested that Siddaramaiah privately conveyed his decision to step down. “I was with the CM. He said, ‘I have decided to resign.’ I did not question him about why he was resigning. We tried to persuade him, saying, ‘Why don’t you continue?’” Deshpande said.“We said the decision was a surprise to us, but he said, ‘No, I have decided to resign.’ The MLAs who were there wanted him to continue, but he said he had given his word to the high command and would respect it,” he added.ALSO READ - Siddaramaiah's Rajya Sabha move likely, but Shivakumar may still not be CM: What next in Karnataka?Congress denies final decisionThe Congress, though, has continued to deny that a final decision has been taken.“Currently no meeting of the legislature party has been called by the Congress. No other decision has yet been taken. As things evolve, we will inform you,” Surjewala said in Bengaluru on Wednesday, HT reported.“I want to assure every brother and sister of Karnataka, every single Kannadiga, that the only decision we will take will be in the interest of the people of Karnataka,” he added.Surjewala also praised both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, saying any eventual decision by the party leadership would be “in favour of Karnataka, not in favour of individuals”.Shivakumar supporters celebrateShivakumar has avoided directly responding to questions on whether he was set to take over as chief minister. After arriving in Delhi, he smiled briefly at reporters before leaving in his vehicle, PTI reported.Amid the growing speculation, Shivakumar supporters celebrated in several parts of Karnataka on Wednesday, bursting firecrackers and distributing sweets outside his Bengaluru residence and in Ramanagara district.One supporter described the deputy CM as a “strong and decisive leader”, citing his role in the Congress’s 2023 assembly election victory.The current round of speculation traces back to the Congress’s 2023 victory in Karnataka, when reports first talked about a possible rotational chief minister arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. Shivakumar eventually settled for the deputy chief minister’s post.The Rajya Sabha formulaThe Congress has now explored a possible formula under which Siddaramaiah could move to the Rajya Sabha, while his son Yathindra Siddaramaiah may be accommodated in the Karnataka cabinet, people aware of the matter told HT.Four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka, including one currently held by Kharge, are set to go to polls in June. The Congress is expected to win at least three.Home minister G Parameshwara, whose name has occasionally surfaced in discussions around the top post, said, “The party high command called the chief minister, he met with the Congress president, Rahul Gandhi and general secretaries at the AICC headquarters for about three to four hours. What was discussed inside, none of us know. There is a lot of speculation in the media,” as per PTI.PWD minister Satish Jarkiholi also said clarity was expected after Thursday’s breakfast meeting. “Officially, nothing has been said, but still speculations are making rounds. Depending on whatever the CM says at the breakfast meeting tomorrow, things will be confirmed and a full stop can be put to speculations,” Jarkiholi told PTI.(With inputs from Sunetra Choudhury, Arun Dev and agencies)