Behind the news is your round up of musings from the corridors of power. The sudden exit of senior bureaucrat LK Atheeq as ACS to CM exposes friction and clashes in Siddaramaiah’s innermost circle of confidantes.
Published Jun 06, 2025 | 3:54 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 06, 2025 | 3:54 PM
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Synopsis: When politics took precedence over administrative skills, the Chief Minister’s Office in Karnataka lost a senior bureaucrat.
Siddaramaiah’s second term as chief minister has been starkly different from his first. Most striking is the chief minister himself, a pale shadow of the earlier decisive, self-confident Siddaramaiah Karnataka has seen when he was at the helm between 2013 and 2018.
The change is visible right from his group of advisors and secretaries, officials posted at the Chief Minister’s Office, close circle of confidantes and administrative aides, and, more importantly, his style of functioning.
The stark difference in Siddaramaiah’s administrative style has led to groups within his close circle and the consequent exit of a senior officer.
On Wednesday, 4 June, LK Atheeq, considered to be Siddaramaiah’s confidant in administrative matters, resigned as the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) to the chief minister. The sudden exit raised several eyebrows in the corridors of Vidhana Soudha.
Atheeq was known to be a reliable administrative aide and counted among the few logically sound advisors to Siddaramaiah. His resignation came barely months after the government had extended his services.
The senior IAS officer was set for superannuation at the end of January, but the Siddaramaiah government extended his services, allowing his continuation as ACS to the chief minister and the finance department.
Sources in the CMO point to a clash between an MLC-turned-political secretary of the chief minister and his coterie of supporters, including senior bureaucrats who pitted themselves against Atheeq and his team of officials within and outside the office.
As if his resignation was anticipated, another senior officer was posted in his place in a matter of hours.
The source, an ideological sounding board for Siddaramaiah, did not deny that political compulsions, concessions, and accommodations made for some within the chief minister’s closest circle have left administrative aides who put integrity before anything else miffed.
Atheeq, a decorated bureaucrat, has been an administrative asset for Karnataka in different roles throughout his career.
Having worked as Joint Secretary to the PMO and Senior Advisor of the World Bank, Atheeq has been instrumental in taking up flagship initiatives under the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department and managing the state’s economy as ACS to the finance department.
His elevation as ACS to the chief minister was expected soon after the Congress government was elected to power. However, at least a couple of ministers considered close to Siddaramaiah, reportedly, delayed his elevation.
Atheeq was eventually appointed as ACS to Siddaramaiah, six months after the chief minister had appointed political secretaries. The tug-of-war between one of the political secretaries and the ACS had been brewing for months, CMO sources said.
Two primary reasons were cited for clashes: One, refusal by bureaucrats to follow “oral instructions” by the political secretaries. Two, the penchant for control over the decision of transfers and postings of senior officials.
When friction hit crescendo, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was left with a ‘Sophie’s choice’ – his trusted and logical administrative aide, Atheeq, or political secretary, accommodated under the compulsions of party, power, and lobby.
Siddaramaiah made his choice, and Atheeq had to walk out. Ironically, barely days after Atheeq quit, changes have been made to CM’s political secretary post as well.
