Published May 25, 2026 | 10:11 AM ⚊ Updated May 25, 2026 | 10:27 AM
File photo of Rahul Gandhi with Siddaramaiah.
Synopsis: Amid the growing clamour for clarity in Karnataka over change of guard and cabinet reshuffle, chief minister Siddaramaiah is set to meet AICC leaders for high-level deliberations. While sources from CMO indicate that the chief minister will discuss the much-anticipated reshuffle of his Cabinet, close aides of DK Shivakumar believe there’s more at play.
Amid the growing clamour for clarity on cabinet reshuffle and change of guard in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is set to meet Indian National Congress’ (INC) central leadership at Delhi for high-level deliberations.
Siddaramaiah is expected to land in Delhi late on Monday, 25 May, and meet senior leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi on Monday or Tuesday.
South First had previously reported that loyalties in the Cabinet, legislative party and cadres have realigned in Karnataka, and the demand for clarity was only growing stronger. With a big section of the Cabinet and the Congress legislative party feeling that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s administration has slipped into lethargy, a need for a shake-up has become a necessity.
While sources from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) indicated to South First that the chief minister will seek the party leadership’s nod for a much-anticipated reshuffle of his Cabinet, close aides of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar believe that bigger things are at play.
Those close to the deputy chief minister hope that a major leadership change, including the elevation of Shivakumar as the chief minister, is long overdue.
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Chief Minister Siddaramaiah completed three years in office on 20 May, but his governance, by admission of his own ministers and MLAs, is marred by lethargy, disinterest, allegations of corruption and indecision.
Thanks to Siddaramaiah’s massive popularity, it is hanging on by a thread of his appeal and AHINDA support (Kannada acronym for Minorities, Backwards Classes and Dalits).
The growing sense in the Karnataka Cabinet as well as the Congress legislative party is that Siddaramaiah has become unresponsive, indecisive, and his administration has slipped into lethargy.
Senior leaders within and outside the Cabinet believe there is a desperate need for a shake-up. At the same time, they acknowledge that any change has to be based on consensus, without alienating Siddaramaiah – the undisputed mass leader of Congress in Karnataka.
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A few days earlier, a senior minister had told South First that a Cabinet reshuffle is definitely on the cards, but a leadership change may also be inevitable.
“There is no denying that the administration has slipped into lethargy in Karnataka. Ministers are accumulating anti-incumbency sentiments, and there is a definite need to reorganise the way things are. Don’t know if the impact player will become the captain, but party leaders and cadres want clarity from the AICC,” the minister said.
The impact player being referred to here is Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar. For months now, Shivakumar’s close circle has been fuming at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) for “failing to keep its promise” of making him the chief minister.
Party sources close to Shivakumar are reminding the central leadership of the “power-sharing pact” between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar and want it implemented now.
Even Shivakumar has made no secret about his aspirations to replace Siddaramaiah for the top job. Now, the state Cabinet and administration have recalibrated loyalties, allegiances and preferences. In short, the mood in the Karnataka Congress and government has moved on from Siddaramaiah.
Several leaders reportedly opined that Congress should hold a meeting of MLAs to collect consensus on who should lead the government. Members of the Cabinet firmly believe that the tables from 2023, when the CLP gave overwhelming support to Siddaramaiah, have now turned.
Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah’s meeting with the high command is also expected to cover the Congress’s strategy for the upcoming Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and other local and Assembly-level elections.
