The exits of three key people have caused rumblings in the Congress, with political analysts and senior cabinet ministers claiming that Siddaramaiah’s second term has been less assertive and weaker than his first.
Published Aug 16, 2025 | 5:00 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 16, 2025 | 5:00 PM
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah. (X)
Synopsis: Siddaramaiah’s second term as the Chief Minister has been overshadowed by series of political missteps – from handling of the MUDA case to Chinnaswamy stadium stampede. He has struggled to assert his authority, largely because of multiple power centres this time around.
A string of high-profile resignations and sidelining of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s loyalists over the past few months seemingly reflects a shifting balance of power within the Karnataka Congress.
KN Rajanna, LK Atheeq, and Govindaraj — seen as part of Siddaramaiah’s core circle — are among those who have either stepped down or been removed from key positions all in a matter of months. This even as other aides of Siddaramaiah have been hounded by probe agencies. All is not well in the Karnataka CMO and the CM’s inner circle and it shows.
The big exits have caused rumblings in Congress, with political analysts and senior cabinet ministers claiming that Siddaramaiah’s second term has been less assertive and weaker than his first. The fissures also come at a time of an internal tug-of-war within the party for the chief ministership, albeit the party has denied such a strife.
The latest exit came on Monday, 12 August. State co-operation minister Rajanna was forced to resign from the Siddaramaiah cabinet after he said the alleged voter list irregularities in Bengaluru’s Mahadevapura occurred under the Congress’s watch.
His statement embarrassed the party, since it came just days after Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and senior Congress leaders from Karnataka shared a stage in Bengaluru’s Freedom Park to protest against the alleged ‘vote theft’ and demand answers from the BJP and the Election Commission of India.
Before Rajanna’s resignation, another exit shook the corridors of Vidhana Soudha, when Atheeq, considered to be Siddaramaiah’s confidant in administrative matters, resigned as the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) to the chief minister. His decision to quit came barely a few months after the government had extended his services.
Party insiders had then highlighted a turf war between the chief minister’s political secretary and his close circle of supporters, including senior bureaucrats, who were at odds with Atheeq and his team of officials both within and outside the Chief Minister’s Office.
A senior minister, who requested anonymity, expressed concerns over these exits. “A series of incidents have started giving the impression that the chief minister is being isolated from his immediate support group. Although the situations may differ, the resignations, administrative missteps and political compulsions are being seen as weakening the CMO,” the minister told South First.
The latest rift comes amidst a heightened campaign against the Election Commission and the BJP over the alleged rigging of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress has been busy, raising questions on electoral lists in multiple states, including Karnataka.
Rajanna asked those very questions, albeit to his party leadership. The Congress sacked him.
The three-term MLA from Madhugiri remarked, “When the voter list was being prepared, Congress leaders sat quietly with eyes closed instead of raising objections. These irregularities did take place. It is a shame that we did not monitor it.”
The statement was seen as indirectly accepting blame. He also publicly contradicted the party’s charge against the BJP in its ‘vote theft’ campaign.
A political analyst told South First that Rajanna’s question was valid. “It highlights the possibility that Congress may not have conducted a door-to-door survey to verify the voter lists. State officials also share the responsibility. However, his decision to make the statement publicly led to his downfall.”
This is not the first time that Rajanna had courted controversy. Earlier this year, he created a storm in the legislature by claiming there had been attempts to honey-trap him. The allegation grabbed national headlines, leading to speculation that he would be removed from the cabinet.
He had also once suggested that there should be three more deputy chief ministers representing the Veerashaiva-Lingayats, the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes, and the minority communities. The comment did not go down well at a time when tensions were running high between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar.
While his close ties to Siddaramaiah initially helped Rajanna weather these storms, he ultimately fell out of favour with the party high command.
“The Chief Minister realised that he cannot bail out ministers, speaking against the national leadership,” said Sandeep Shastri, a political analyst.
He agreed that the party has been facing critical internal contradictions. Questions about the continuation of Siddaramaiah as the Chief Minister are important to the party, he said. However, Shastri said that the exits of his close aides had genuine reasons and did not necessarily indicate targeting the Chief Minister.
In June, the Karnataka government recommended the names of Dalit activist DG Sagar, senior journalist Dinesh Amin Mattu, Congress’s communications chief Ramesh Babu, and Karnataka NRI Forum deputy chairperson Arathi Krishna for nomination to the Legislative Council.
Among them, Mattu — a former media advisor and close aide of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah — was seen as a key nominee. However, the list was eventually put on hold following internal opposition.
Analysts acknowledged that halting Mattu’s elevation could be seen as a sign of Siddaramaiah’s weakening influence. However, other nominations were halted too.
“It could be inferred that some of Siddaramaiah’s loyalists have been sidelined, but it wasn’t just Mattu’s nomination that was blocked. All four recommendations for the Council seats were stalled,” said Shastri.
Another political commentator, Gautham Machiah, suggested that the decision to freeze Mattu’s elevation reflected broader party considerations. “There was significant dissonance around his (Mattu’s) nomination. Others had also been vying for the position, many of whom had contributed more significantly at the grassroots level,” he said.
Analysts further said that the resignations of the three key people reflected the party’s effort to maintain a balanced internal structure.
“Siddaramaiah’s aides were asked to step down under a specific context where their roles were under scrutiny. These moves set important precedents and should be viewed as indicative of a party and leader committed to upholding discipline,” Shastri added.
Political analysts referred to one of the major controversies the Congress government faced in recent months – the fatal stampede outside Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium during an RCB celebration event, which claimed 11 lives.
Soon after, the government suspended Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda and all senior jurisdictional police officers. The move invited criticism from citizens, former police officers, and civil society, many of whom viewed the suspension as the government’s tactic to escape accountability.
However, three days after the incident, a letter became public, much to the embarrassment of the CMO. The letter revealed that MLC K Govindaraj, also the political secretary of the Chief Minister, had sought “arrangements for a big celebration for the RCB team in Bengaluru on Tuesday.” He was a key figure in Karnataka’s sporting circles.
The Congress had to shift to damage control mode. It removed Govindaraj from his post as political secretary. The suspension of the police officers also had to be lifted.
“His second term has been overshadowed by such a series of political missteps, beginning with the handling of the MUDA case. He has struggled to assert his authority, largely because the party came to power under Shivakumar’s leadership. Shivakumar enjoys a closer relationship with the high command,” claimed political analyst Harish Ramaswamy.
Complicating matters further is the power-sharing arrangement with Shivakumar and persistent speculation that he will assume the chief ministership in the second half of the Congress government, Ramaswamy added.
Despite the setbacks, political observers believe the Congress high command is unlikely to upset Siddaramaiah at this juncture. “He is still their face when it comes to representation of the Dalits and OBCs. They will not go against him, especially when the Bihar elections are nearing,” Shastri said.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
