Congress leader Siddaramaiah confirmed Thursday morning that he will resign as Chief Minister of Karnataka, bringing the curtain down on a three-year leadership dispute with his deputy DK Shivakumar that has, at times, sidelined and even threatened to derail the party’s government.
The announcement was made at a breakfast meeting at his Bengaluru residence.
And it followed 48 hours of hushed meetings and frenetic consultations with the Congress’ top leaders in Delhi, at which the (now) outgoing chief minister was offered a high-profile compensation package – which included a Rajya Sabha seat – to convince him to quit.
News of Siddaramaiah’s ‘I quit’ message was greeted with cheers by Shivakumar’s supporters, many of whom gathered outside his residence with cries of victory and to distribute sweets.
The breakfast meeting – with masala dosa, idli, sambar, chutney, kesaribath and other Kannada delicacies on the menu – began with an embrace and a gesture of obeisance.
The hug between Siddaramaiah and DKS, and the latter bending to touch the feet of the former – a gesture of respect – were not lost on those who have followed this sometimes acerbic spat.
That rumbling intensified in November 2025 as DKS’ supporters put pressure on the Congress to honour a rumoured power-sharing deal brokered after the 2023 election win, which was followed by Siddaramaiah and their man locked in an ‘I want to be chief minister’ face-off.
The deal – which neither contender nor the party have ever acknowledged – said the veteran Siddaramaiah would be chief minister for the first 2.5 years and Shivakumar thereafter.
But enforcing that agreement has proven to be a challenge, with Siddaramaiah initially reluctant to stand down. Now, however, it seems he has been convinced to toe the party line, particularly with a state election in 2028 and a federal election the year after.
Whether Siddaramaiah will accept the parliamentary peace offering at this time is unclear; NDTV was told the veteran leader would prefer to complete his term as the MLA from Varuna, a family bastion, and likely work for the 2028 election before moving to national politics.
However that might work out, it does seem Siddaramaiah is ready to make way for DKS.