Bengaluru witnessed a dramatic political drama on Thursday morning as moving images of scenes of tears boiling out of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s official residence at the official residence in Bengaluru, where he was seen hugging Siddaramaiah, were taken up in the state’s cabinet room, in a very emotional mood as the state’s political leadership transition started to take place with a big change. Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar was seen warmly hugging Siddaramaiah and seeking his blessing at a high-stakes breakfast meeting of senior ministers and Congress leaders.
The video was widely shared on social media and news websites and showed DK Shivakumar touching Siddaramaiah’s feet and hugging him - a gesture widely seen as respect and acknowledgement, as he is on the cusp of a leadership change. The emotional exchange further fuelled speculation that Siddaramaiah could be ousted as Chief Minister, and the top job of Karnataka will turn to Shivakumar.
A breakfast meeting at the Chief Minister’s residence is believed to have been a farewell meeting before Siddaramaiah formally submits his resignation. Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara said that the meeting was organised to thank his cabinet colleagues for their cooperation during his tenure.
"The Chief Minister has called all the ministers for breakfast, and before he resigns, he wants to thank all the ministers for their cooperation,” Parameshwara said. When asked whether Siddaramaiah has been offered a post in Delhi by the Congress leadership, he said it is up to the party high command to decide whether or not he was offered a job in Delhi.
Parameshwara also gave a cryptic answer to the question of what would happen if Siddaramaiah steps down. “Just wait and see,” he said, and political suspense is reignited in the state.
According to sources in the Congress party, Siddaramaiah was asked by the party high command to give way for DK Shivakumar after several important meetings were held in New Delhi earlier this week. Senior Congress leaders are believed to have completed the transition plan to maintain unity within the state unit and honour internal understandings reached after the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections.
There have been many rumours about a possible change of Chief Minister in Karnataka for months. Since the Congress returned to power in May 2023, DK Shivakumar’s supporters have called for him to be given a chance to lead the government due to a purported “rotational chief minister formula” supposedly agreed upon during government formation talks.
After the victory of Congress in the Assembly elections, the two strongest contenders for the Chief Minister's post are Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar. The internal rivalry had led to great unrest in the party, and finally, the Congress high command named Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister, Shivakumar as Deputy Chief Minister and State Party President.
Although the Congress Party never formally admitted the existence of a power-sharing arrangement, political observers and party insiders have long claimed that a compromise formula involving rotational leadership helped settle the leadership battle at the time.
Now that Siddaramaiah is believed to be about to quit, Congress leadership seems ready to carry out the long-awaited transition. The emotional scenes at the Chief Minister’s residence have added a human and political dimension to the power transition going on and may lead to one of the most meaningful moments in Karnataka politics since the Congress returned to power.
As the state waits for a formal announcement, the supporters of both leaders have gathered outside the Chief Minister’s residence and party offices and have been closely watching every development in what has already become a turning point in the Karnataka Congress government’s history of politics.
