Siddaramaiah hosts breakfast for cabinet colleagues, amid buzz over his exit as CM

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah hosted a breakfast with colleagues amid speculation he will step down for D K Shivakumar. Congress high command reportedly urged leadership change, sparking protests and celebrations, while backward class groups warned of consequences if Siddaramaiah is replaced

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is widely expected to step down, hosted a breakfast for his cabinet colleagues at his official residence here on Thursday.

His current deputy and possible successor, D K Shivakumar and other cabinet colleagues attended the breakfast meeting.

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In a picture shared by the Chief Minister’s Office, Siddaramaiah is seen hugging Shivakumar. In another picture, CM hopeful Shivakumar is seen touching the feet of Siddaramaiah and taking his blessings.

It is being speculated that Siddaramaiah will announce his stepping down from the CM post to make way for Shivakumar, possibly at the breakfast meeting.

According to CMO sources, the CM sought the Governor’s appointment after the party high command apparently asked him to make way for a leadership change in the state. He also said he will speak on the matter on Thursday.

However, Lok Bhavan sources said Siddaramaiah has not yet sought time to meet Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, who he has left for his native, Indore, for personal reasons.

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, on Wednesday 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.

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 the top party leader, Rahul Gandhi. The CM has repeatedly stated that 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.

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.

Shivakumar camp was jubilant, and his supporters broke into celebrations on Wednesday 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 might step down.

Meanwhile, the pictures emerging from the breakfast meeting showed steaming hot idlis, vadas, sambar, chutney, bisi bele bath and kesari baat on the plates of Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.

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 the party state president, for the chief minister’s post after the Congress won the May 2023 Assembly election. The party had then managed to convince Shivakumar 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-a-half years, but they have not been officially confirmed by the party.