Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has backed his deputy DK Shivakumar to succeed him and asked everyone to support him, said sources on Thursday. The incumbent chief minister made the announcement during a meeting with his cabinet colleagues and MLAs.
During the breakfast meeting at his residence in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah also informed his cabinet colleagues that he will resign from his position. Siddaramaiah has also sought time from Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, who is in his native place in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, but sources have said that he will visit the Lok Sabha at 2.30 pm on Thursday and then address a press conference at Home Office Krishna at 3.00 pm.
Siddaramaiah's decision to step down, though, only comes after the party leadership asked him to vacate the top post for Shivakumar under the 2.5-year agreement between them. Siddaramaiah reportedly has been offered a Rajya Sabha seat, but the incumbent chief minister has refused it and said he is looking to continue as an MLA in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.
Initially, Siddaramaiah was reluctant in stepping down, but decided to resign after a message from Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. Notably, Siddaramaiah had earlier stated that he would only step down after instructions from Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
"That day, this day, forever... Unity is our strength! Public service is our eternal commitment!" posted the Karnataka unit of Congress on micro-blogging site X (previously Twitter) following the breakfast meeting.
Following Congress' victory in the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections, there was a stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the position of chief minister. Later, the Congress leadership decided to make Siddaramaiah for the top position and had reportedly finalised a "rotational two-and-a-half years chief minister formula".
Now, after the announcement, Shivakumar's supporters have started celebrating. Many of his supporters were seen celebrating in several parts of the state, including Karnataka capital of Bengaluru and Ramanagara. However, Siddaramaiah's supporters were also protesting outside his official residence on Wednesday.
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