Breakfast meeting seals decision
According to reports, Siddaramaiah conveyed his decision during a breakfast meeting with Shivakumar at the outgoing Chief Minister’s residence in Bengaluru.
The development comes after two days of intense deliberations involving the Congress high command in New Delhi.
Congress leadership backs transition
The Congress leadership reportedly favoured Siddaramaiah’s exit from the Chief Minister’s post and offered a compensation package that includes a Rajya Sabha berth for the veteran leader and a cabinet position for his son Yathindra.
Power struggle dates back to 2023 polls
Following Congress’s emphatic victory in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, both Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar had staked claim to the Chief Minister’s chair.
After days of negotiations, the party eventually picked Siddaramaiah as the Chief Minister.
Rotational formula speculation resurfaces
Reports at the time had suggested that Shivakumar agreed to the arrangement after the Congress leadership worked out an informal rotational formula under which Siddaramaiah would serve as Chief Minister for the first two-and-a-half years before Shivakumar potentially took over for the remainder of the term.
However, the Congress has never officially confirmed the existence of any such agreement.