BENGALURU: Whenever the issue of a change in leadership came up in the past, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would claim he will step down only if Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi asks him to.
That ask came Tuesday, and as per sources, it was Rahul who told Siddaramaiah to step down. With this, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar seems to have paid Siddaramaiah with the same coin by convincing Rahul to take a decisive step on the leadership issue.
Even as Siddaramaiah desperately tried to cling on to power by ferrying his coterie of ministers to Delhi and also carrying a list of 93 MLAs, who he claimed were strongly supporting him, Shivakumar restrained from indulging in such machinations.
Shivakumar, despite it being his biggest political moment so far, dealt with it single-handedly, reposing faith in the high command that it would honour the power sharing agreement between him and Siddaramaiah in 2023 when the party came to power.
If sources within Congress are to be believed, Rahul’s decision on Tuesday came as a shocker to Siddaramaiah and his camp members -- the ministers who were eagerly awaiting the outcome of the daylong deliberations held by the high command leaders, including Rahul, in New Delhi. They had kept their fingers crossed, hoping that Rahul would give Siddaramaiah the go-ahead to continue as chief minister by asking him to reshuffle the cabinet.
Later in the evening, Siddaramaiah huddled with his coterie of ministers at KJ George’s residence and briefed them about what transpired between him and Rahul. Siddaramaiah played the AHINDA card, suggesting that the party needs a backward class mass leader ahead of the 2028 Assembly polls, but Rahul told him, “the party will take care of it”.
Rahul did not even take Siddaramaiah’s advice that his successor should be from the AHINDA group, especially a Dalit, like Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara. But Rahul promised Siddaramaiah that he would be taken into confidence while revamping the party and forming the cabinet.
Rahul also said Siddaramaiah might get exhausted campaigning during the 2028 Assembly elections and the party needs an overhaul. When Rahul offered him the Rajya Sabha seat, Siddaramaiah told him he has his own limitations to accept it.
Expressing his helplessness, Siddaramaiah told his camp that Shivakumar had convinced Rahul over the need for a change in leadership. “During the deliberations, even AICC General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal insisted that I step down,” he told his men.
Siddaramaiah had taken ministers Parameshwara, MB Patil, Byrathi Suresh, Dr HC Mahadevappa, KJ George, his legal advisor and MLC A S Ponnanna with him. Interestingly, his Man Friday and PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi boarded a separate flight, while Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan did not go at all.
There is speculation now whether Siddaramaiah knew about the outcome of his meeting with the high command. The leadership had given him an indication three months ago, when he created a record of being the longest-serving chief minister of Karnataka overtaking the previous landmark by former CM late D Devaraj Urs.
Sources said the high command may consider Satish for the KPCC president’s post if Shivakumar is made chief minister. Siddaramaiah’s MLC-son Dr Yathindra could be considered for a cabinet berth or even a DCM post, they added. The high command will chalk out a strategy with a new equation by accommodating leaders in the cabinet and could even consider RDPR and IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge, son of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, for DCM post, sources said.
Sources said Venugopal had spoken to Priyank, MB Patil and Zameer on Sunday and hinted at a change in guard in the government. Both Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala are arriving in Bengaluru on Wednesday to initiate the power transition, they added.