After a long period of procrastination, the Congress high command has finally taken the bull by its horns. By asking Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to step down and pave the way for a new leader in Karnataka, the central leadership is trying to end months of political uncertainty. The tussle had been hanging like the sword of Damocles over a government that enjoys a clear majority of 134 in the state’s 224-seat Assembly.
Siddaramaiah and his loyalists had read the writing on the wall and braced to hold their ground. Yet Tuesday’s events in Delhi took them by surprise. The Siddaramaiah camp had expected the central leaders to hold multiple rounds of deliberations with stakeholders—as was done in Kerala—before taking any decision. But the high command moved faster than expected. After marathon meetings with Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, the former agreed to step down, while the latter is likely to be elected Congress Legislature Party leader and become the new Chief Minister of Karnataka.
The reset was a difficult and consequential decision for a party looking to reboot its state unit while aiming to retain power in 2028 and keep the BJP from regaining ground. The bigger challenge now is to ensure a smooth transition at all levels. That could prove tricky, considering the leadership change is bound to leave the Siddaramaiah camp bitter, potentially denting the party’s prospects in the Assembly polls ahead.
But governance cannot suffer while politics plays out. The administration has already taken a hit due to growing speculation over the leadership issue since November 2025—the halfway mark of the government’s five-year term—when Siddaramaiah is said to have agreed to hand over the CM’s post to Shivakumar. The party’s internal politics has made more noise than its performance. As a result, the public goodwill gained through the welfare schemes promised during the 2023 Assembly campaign has frayed.
The lesson for all is that it is not enough to win elections resoundingly. Ensuring good governance while continuously balancing internal ambitions may be even more essential for retaining people’s trust. Given the hurdles still to be crossed for a smooth transition, the Congress in Karnataka can expect its walk towards 2028 to remain a tightrope act.
