Congress Rejects Reports Claiming Grand Old Party Asked Siddaramaiah To Resign As Karnataka CM

Political debate in Karnataka has intensified as Congress sources claim Chief Minister Siddaramaiah may shift to Delhi through the Rajya Sabha, even while the party publicly insists there is no discussion on a leadership change in the state and describes recent high-level talks as routine election-related consultations.

According to party insiders, the Congress leadership has suggested that Siddaramaiah step down as chief minister and move to national politics, where a broader organisational or governance role in Delhi is being discussed, with the high command assuring that "all other things and his issues will be taken care of".

Karnataka Congress leadership change Rajya Sabha meeting details

The key meeting, held at the Congress headquarters in Delhi, brought together Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala, with sources saying leadership transition and a Rajya Sabha route for Siddaramaiah featured in internal conversations alongside formal poll planning.

However, the official version from the Congress remains sharply different, with KC Venugopal telling reporters after nearly two hours of discussions that the leadership question was not on the table and that the leadership in Karnataka continues unchanged, despite persistent questions over a possible shift in the chief minister’s role.

Venugopal stressed that the agenda was narrow and technical, focused on upcoming elections. "Today's discussion was only around Rajya Sabha polls and MLC elections. Whatever you speculated is not true," Venugopal said, adding later, "We had a meeting. CM, DCM and Randeep were present. The entire discussion concentrated on Rajya Sabha and MLC seats today. Stop speculation," seeking to close down talk of a change.

Karnataka Congress leadership change Rajya Sabha numbers

Party managers also reviewed the arithmetic for the four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka falling vacant, with Congress numbers in the Assembly giving it a clear edge in three seats and leaving one seat within the comfort zone of the BJP, which still retains enough legislators to secure that position.

The likely distribution of these seats, based on current strength, is shown below.

Within the Congress, discussions on candidates included the possible renomination of Mallikarjun Kharge from Karnataka, consideration of DK Shivakumar's brother DK Suresh for another seat, and debate over whether the third party nominee should be a woman or an OBC leader, while Karnataka Legislative Council polls were also reviewed as part of the broader electoral strategy.

The wider political context includes renewed interest in an internal power-sharing understanding in Karnataka, with some supporters of DK Shivakumar repeatedly claiming that Shivakumar was promised the chief minister’s post after the 2023 Assembly elections; neither Siddaramaiah nor Shivakumar commented on such claims or on any leadership issue when leaving the meeting venue.

For now, the Congress high command has avoided any formal statement about replacing Siddaramaiah, yet detailed claims from party sources about a potential Rajya Sabha move and a Delhi role ensure that discussion over Karnataka leadership will remain active within the state unit and among national political observers.