LiveUpdated on: May 27, 2026 12:27:11 PM ISTKarnataka power tussle Live: Amid growing speculation over a possible leadership change in Karnataka over the next two days, chief minister Siddaramaiah has sought an appointment with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on May 28, according to a report.Key Events1 Mins agoSiddaramaiah seeks time to meet guv amid resignation buzz: Report16 Mins ago‘No smooth transfer of power’, says Bommai on Karnataka CM change buzz39 Mins agoCM Siddaramaiah calls cabinet breakfast amid resignation rumours1 Hr 1 Mins ago‘No discussions so far about anything’, says Satish Jarkiholi4:55 AM IST, May 27'We still don't know about the internal discussions', says Karnataka Minister G. Parameshwara4:52 AM IST, May 27Second Siddaramaiah-Shivakumar breakfast meeting4:31 AM IST, May 27Will Mallikarjun Kharge emerge as chief minister over DK Shivakumar?4:28 AM IST, May 27Cabinet berth for CM Siddaramaiah's son on cards amid buzz around his resignation4:14 AM IST, May 27Why the Rajya Sabha avenue now?3:58 AM IST, May 27On CM question, a smile by DKS3:47 AM IST, May 27Will DK Shivakumar be overlooked as CM?3:34 AM IST, May 27Siddaramaiah's Rajya Sabha move likely3:27 AM IST, May 27Congress in favour of ‘transfer of power’3:15 AM IST, May 27‘Discussions on upcoming Rajya Sabha elections’, says Congress3:15 AM IST, May 27DK Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah meet top Congress leaders3:07 AM IST, May 27DK Shivakumar to meet Siddaramaiah for breakfast amid CM change buzzKarnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar.Karnataka power tussle Live: Amid growing speculation over a possible leadership change in Karnataka over the next two days, chief minister Siddaramaiah has sought an appointment with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on May 28, according to a report. Siddaramaiah is also set to meet his deputy DK Shivakumar for breakfast on Thursday morning. The two leaders met top Congress leadership on Tuesday in Delhi, following which Shivakumar was invited for breakfast by the chief minister at his residence in Kaveri.Similar developments took place in 2025 too, when Siddaramaiah completed 2.5 years as CM, triggering buzz of leadership change. Back then, sources had told HT that the chief minister urged Shivakumar to take over the top post after the next Assembly elections in the state in 2028. The Tuesday meeting in New Delhi was attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretary, Organisation, K C Venugopal and AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala, among others. The party said discussions were on the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and polls in the Karnataka legislative council. Siddaramaiah, too, denied reports that discussions had taken place on changing the CM, people aware of the matter said. The party top brass including Gandhi and Kharge held several hours of discussions with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, apart from meeting them separately, and is likely to take a call on a possible change of guard in the state after the Rajya Sabha polls, which are due next month, PTI reported citing sources. Will Siddaramiah be replaced? People cited above said Kharge told Siddaramaiah that the latter needed to step down and make way for a new leadership. However, the 77-year-old leader refused to acquiesce immediately and instead asked for two days to decide. The people cited above also said that Siddaramaiah was reluctant to hand over duties to Shivakumar but was told by Kharge that the choice of successor was not his. Siddaramaiah might also be presented with a formula where he steps aside in return for a Rajya Sabha seat and a possible cabinet position for his son Yathindra — a member of the state legislative council — in return. After the Congress won its biggest victory in a generation in Karnataka in 2023, the government has been mired in tensions over the top post. Siddaramaiah, a two-time chief minister who built a grassroots coalition of backwards, Dalits and Muslims that propelled the Congress a rare victory against the Bharatiya Janata Party, had agreed to a power swap halfway through the five-year tenure but has till now blocked Shivakumar, the party’s main troubleshooter and poll financier, said the people cited above. Shivakumar to be left waiting again? People familiar with the matter have told HT that even if Congress manages to convince Siddaramaiah to take the Rajya Sabha route, he may not be willing to see Shivakumar succeed him. In that case, Congress might offer Mallikarjun Kharge as a compromise candidate as CM, also clearing the way for Rahul Gandhi to push KC Venugopal as the next party chief and open up the central party organisation to a much-needed overhaul. ...Read MoreSimilar developments took place in 2025 too, when Siddaramaiah completed 2.5 years as CM, triggering buzz of leadership change. Back then, sources had told HT that the chief minister urged Shivakumar to take over the top post after the next Assembly elections in the state in 2028. The Tuesday meeting in New Delhi was attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretary, Organisation, K C Venugopal and AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala, among others. The party said discussions were on the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and polls in the Karnataka legislative council. Siddaramaiah, too, denied reports that discussions had taken place on changing the CM, people aware of the matter said. The party top brass including Gandhi and Kharge held several hours of discussions with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, apart from meeting them separately, and is likely to take a call on a possible change of guard in the state after the Rajya Sabha polls, which are due next month, PTI reported citing sources. Will Siddaramiah be replaced? People cited above said Kharge told Siddaramaiah that the latter needed to step down and make way for a new leadership. However, the 77-year-old leader refused to acquiesce immediately and instead asked for two days to decide. The people cited above also said that Siddaramaiah was reluctant to hand over duties to Shivakumar but was told by Kharge that the choice of successor was not his. Siddaramaiah might also be presented with a formula where he steps aside in return for a Rajya Sabha seat and a possible cabinet position for his son Yathindra — a member of the state legislative council — in return. After the Congress won its biggest victory in a generation in Karnataka in 2023, the government has been mired in tensions over the top post. Siddaramaiah, a two-time chief minister who built a grassroots coalition of backwards, Dalits and Muslims that propelled the Congress a rare victory against the Bharatiya Janata Party, had agreed to a power swap halfway through the five-year tenure but has till now blocked Shivakumar, the party’s main troubleshooter and poll financier, said the people cited above. Shivakumar to be left waiting again? People familiar with the matter have told HT that even if Congress manages to convince Siddaramaiah to take the Rajya Sabha route, he may not be willing to see Shivakumar succeed him. In that case, Congress might offer Mallikarjun Kharge as a compromise candidate as CM, also clearing the way for Rahul Gandhi to push KC Venugopal as the next party chief and open up the central party organisation to a much-needed overhaul. Follow all the updates here:May 27, 2026 12:26:17 PM ISTKarnataka power tussle Live: Amid growing speculation over a possible leadership change in Karnataka over the next two days, chief minister Siddaramaiah has sought an appointment with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on May 28, sources in the chief minister's office told news agency PTI.Rumours have intensified that Siddaramaiah may step down on Thursday, potentially clearing the way for deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar to take over as Karnataka's next chief minister."Yes, he has sought time to meet the Governor tomorrow," a senior source close to the chief minister told PTI.May 27, 2026 12:11:54 PM ISTKarnataka power tussle Live: Amid speculation over Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah’s possible resignation, BJP MP and former CM Basavaraj S Bommai claimed the Congress leader was “compromised” and had “manipulated his way up” to the top post twice.“I don’t see immediate rebellion,” Bommai said, while adding that he does not expect a “smooth transfer of power” if the Congress goes ahead with a leadership change in the state.“Congress never told the truth to the people. Who will buy what they say?” he added, reacting to the party dismissing reports of a possible CM change in Karnataka.May 27, 2026 11:48:27 AM ISTKarnataka power tussle Live: Amid speculation that he will step down, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is likely to host a crucial breakfast meeting here for his cabinet colleagues on Thursday morning, official sources said.Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, who is in Delhi, was initially scheduled to return to Bengaluru this afternoon. He has now revised his programme and will leave the national capital on Thursday. He is also likely to attend the breakfast meeting at the CM's official residence here.Speculation is mounting that Siddaramaiah will announce his resignation from the CM's post in a couple of days, mostly on Thursday, to clear the path for Shivakumar. -PTIMay 27, 2026 11:26:22 AM ISTKarnataka power tussle Live: On the cabinet reshuffle tussle, state minister Satish Jarkiholi said, "We don't know what is going on right now, the CM will inform us over a breakfast meeting tomorrow. We don't know about the instructions given by the party high command yesterday... We have had no discussions so far about anything. We will abide by the decisions taken by the party."May 27, 2026 10:25:25 AM ISTKarnataka power tussle Live: Following the meeting of Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in New Delhi yesterday, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara said, “Yesterday, the high command leaders called the CM. The CM met them. But no one knows what was discussed inside. We have no information yet. State incharge Randeep Surjewala is coming to Bengaluru today.”"He will clear up all the confusion. We still don't know about the internal discussions. We only know what KC Venugopal said. That's all I have to say. CM Siddaramaiah has also called a breakfast meeting tomorrow. I will meet the CM this afternoon."May 27, 2026 10:22:09 AM ISTKarnataka power tussle Live: Amid the speculations, Siddaramaiah has called upon Shivakumar for a breakfast meeting on Thursday at his residence in Kaveri. What comes next of this is yet to be known. The deputy CM will be flying from New Delhi tomorrow morning at 5:45 am to reach Bengaluru at 8:30 am. The two leaders will meet for the meal at 9 am.May 27, 2026 10:01:12 AM ISTKarnataka power tussle Live: Amid speculations that Karnataka chief minister K Siddaramaiah might be offered a seat in Rajya Sabha to step aside from the top post, sources say that he might not “agree” with his deputy DK Shivakumar succeeding him. In that case, the party might offer Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as a compromise candidate as CM. This move will also clear the way for Rahul Gandhi to push KC Venugopal as the next party chief and open up the central party organisation to a much-needed overhaul. “However, this is the most remote option as of now,” said a leader aware of developments. Notably, KC Venugopal was widely considered as the chief minister choice in Kerala, but VD Satheeshan ended up winning the race. May 27, 2026 9:58:19 AM ISTKarnataka power tussle Live: As power tussle continues to widen in the state, Congress is looking at a Bihar-like strategy in the works. Here's what Siddaramaiah may be offered for leaving the key role, according to people aware of the matter:- A Rajya Sabha seat for Siddaramaiah- A possible cabinet berth for his son YathindraMay 27, 2026 9:44:46 AM ISTKarnataka power tussle Live: When the Congress won the Karnataka Assembly elections in 2023 and Siddaramaiah became chief minister, several reports said that an alternate power-sharing system was agreed upon, as part of which Shivakumar would take over the CM role when Siddaramaiah completes half his tenure. However, the half-mark was reached in November 2025, but there was no leadership change.However, a new Rajya Sabha shift for the 77-year-old CM has now emerged, because four seats, including that of Kharge, are going to the polls from Karnataka in June, with Congress confident of winning at least three.May 27, 2026 9:28:57 AM ISTKarnataka power tussle Live: After his arrival in Delhi, Shivakumar was asked by the media if he would assume the post of chief minister. The Congress leader refused to issue any response, but smiled at the reporters as he left in his car.However, people aware of the developments have also said that Siddaramaiah supporters are hoping for Shivakumar to take over the role now, lose the 2028 elections to the massive anti-incumbency wave in Karnataka, and with it his leadership claims.May 27, 2026 9:17:55 AM ISTKarnataka power tussle Live: Even if Siddaramaiah takes the Rajya Sabha route, his deputy DK Shivakumar may still not be taking over the chief minister role. People familiar with the matter have told HT that even if Congress manages to convince Siddaramaiah to take the Rajya Sabha route, he may not be willing to see Shivakumar succeed him.In that case, Congress might offer Mallikarjun Kharge as a compromise candidate as CM, also clearing the way for Rahul Gandhi to push KC Venugopal as the next party chief and open up the central party organisation to a much-needed overhaul.May 27, 2026 9:04:46 AM ISTKarnataka power tussle Live: Fresh buzz suggests that Siddaramaiah may finally be stepping aside, with a Bihar-like strategy in the works. Here's what the chief minister may be offered by the Congress leadership for leaving the key role, according to people aware of the matter:A Rajya Sabha seat for SiddaramaiahA possible cabinet berth for his son YathindraThis arrangement, if implemented, would be eerily similar to what happened in Bihar a few weeks back.May 27, 2026 8:57:23 AM ISTKarnataka power tussle Live: Buzz of a leadership change in Karnataka has yet again gained pace, with the arrival of chief minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar in Delhi to meet the Congress leadership. While the party maintains the meeting to be routine, people aware of the matter have told HT that the high command is in favour of a “transfer of power” in Karnataka, with alternate routes planned for Siddaramaiah.May 27, 2026 8:45:49 AM ISTKarnataka power tussle Live: The party said discussions were on the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and polls in the Karnataka legislative council. Siddaramaiah, too, denied reports that discussions had taken place on changing the CM, people aware of the matter said.The party top brass including Gandhi and Kharge held several hours of discussions with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, apart from meeting them separately, and is likely to take a call on a possible change of guard in the state after the Rajya Sabha polls, which are due next month, PTI reported citing sources.May 27, 2026 8:45:05 AM ISTKarnataka power tussle Live: The two leaders met top Congress leadership on Tuesday in Delhi, following which Shivakumar was invited for breakfast by the chief minister at his residence in Kaveri.The Tuesday meeting in New Delhi was attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretary, Organisation, K C Venugopal and AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala, among others.May 27, 2026 8:37:54 AM ISTKarnataka power tussle Live: Amid strong buzz of a leadership change in Karnataka, chief minister Siddaramaiah is set to meet his deputy DK Shivakumar for breakfast on Thursday morning. Similar developments took place in 2025 too, when Siddaramaiah completed 2.5 years as CM, triggering buzz of leadership change. Back then, sources had told HT that the chief minister urged Shivakumar to take over the top post after the next Assembly elections in the state in 2028.Home India news Karnataka power tussle Live: CM Siddaramaiah seeks time to meet governor amid resignation buzz, says report