Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Thursday resigned as the chief minister of Karnataka.The announcement came after a breakfast meeting at his official residence in Bengaluru, which was attended by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and several party leaders including HK Patil, Priyank Kharge, KJ George, MB Patil and Ramalinga Reddy.Shivakumar is reportedly expected to become the next chief minister.On Thursday, Siddaramaiah said that he was following the Congress leadership’s decision asking him to step down. “I am making way for a new chief minister,” he said.He added that he had submitted his resignation letter to the governor’s office and that it would be accepted in due course.Siddaramaiah is the longest-serving chief minister of Karnataka with a tenure of more than eight years across two terms. The 78-year-old served as the chief minister between 2013 and 2018. His current term began in May 2023.Karnataka CM and Deputy CM, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, respectively, share a hug at the CM residence in Bengaluru at the breakfast meeting. Deputy CM DK Shivakumar also touched the feet of CM Siddaramaiah.(Pics: CMO Karnataka) pic.twitter.com/qIATmAwj8a— ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2026
Speculation about a leadership change in Karnataka had resurfaced after the Congress government completed half of its five-year term in November.After the Congress defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Assembly elections in May 2023, reports claimed there had been a competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the chief minister’s post.At the time, some reports claimed that a compromise had been reached based on a “rotational chief minister formula”, under which Shivakumar would take over the post after two and a half years.The Congress never confirmed that there had been such an agreement. In July, Siddaramaiah said that he would remain in office for the full five-year term.In April, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said there would be no change in Karnataka “for now”.Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were in Delhi on Tuesday for meetings with the Congress’ central leadership.Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal had that day described reports of a leadership change as speculation and said that the talks with the party leadership were focused only on the Rajya Sabha polls and Karnataka Legislative Council candidates, The Hindu reported.The next Assembly elections in Karnataka are expected to be held in May 2028.Written by Sara Varghese. Edited by Nachiket Deuskar.
