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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah late on Tuesday night, 26 May 2026, has agreed to step down from his position, according to sources privy to the marathon meetings held by the Congress high command in New Delhi.

Although Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar is the frontrunner to succeed him, no final decision has been taken as of yet on his successor or the exact timing of Siddaramaiah’s resignation. Even though other names, such as party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Home Minister G Parameshwara, were part of the roster as possible choices, Congress has chosen to back Shivakumar as Siddaramaiah's successor.

This decision comes after the congress high command— Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and KC Venugopal— conducted a six-hour long marathon meeting at its headquarters at Indira Bhavan in New Delhi. In addition to Siddaramaiah, the meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala. 

See also: Not against Hindi, decision on two-language policy not taken: Siddaramaiah​

Sources said Siddaramaiah has sought an appointment with Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot at Lok Bhavan on May 28 2026, and has also called for a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party the following day. 

Sources added that senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asked Siddaramaiah to step down to end the prolonged power tussle with Shivakumar. Further, the Congress leadership conveyed to Siddaramaiah that the party now needs him in Delhi as one of its most prominent OBC faces. 

Reportedly, Congress leadership is planning to shift Siddaramaiah from Karnataka to national politics by nominating him to the Rajya Sabha and giving him a significant organisational responsibility in Delhi ahead of 2029 Lok Sabha polls.

See also: K'taka: BJP alleges harassment of MUDA complainant, accuses CM Siddaramaiah of vendetta politics

The Congress high command is working on a smooth transition formula that would allow Siddaramaiah a graceful exit from the Chief Minister’s post. The move is driven by multiple factors, including Siddaramaiah turning 80 in 2028 and growing concerns over the government’s governance record. These issues are also believed to be behind the delay in approving the Cabinet reshuffle Siddaramaiah had requested.

Shivakumar had been pressing the party high command to hand over the Chief Minister’s post to him, citing an alleged power-sharing agreement of two-and-a-half years each that was reportedly reached between the two leaders after the Congress came to power in the 2023 Assembly elections. The halfway mark was crossed in November last year, but Siddaramaiah had refused to step down until now.

Even as sources indicated a possible leadership change, the Congress officially denied that any discussion had taken place on replacing Siddaramaiah. Speaking to reporters after the nearly two-hour meeting, AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal said the discussions were related to the upcoming Rajya Sabha and Karnataka Legislative Council elections. However, sources privy to the New Indian Express have claimed otherwise.

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