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Congress leader Siddaramaiah resigned as Karnataka Chief Minister after a key government meeting in Bengaluru.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has reportedly informed his cabinet colleagues that he will step down after lunch. The breakfast meeting, held Thursday morning, was also attended by Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

BENGALURU: D K Shivakumar's push to succeed Siddaramaiah gathered momentum after Priyanka Gandhi Vadra intervened, sources said. Shivakumar, despite multiple visits to the national capital in recent months, struggled to get Rahul's ear on the reported arrangement under which he was expected to take over as CM midway through the govt's tenure, sources said.

The Karnataka leadership transition debate has now taken a sharp OBC politics turn, with BJP leader and former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai accusing the Congress of undermining its own social justice narrative by potentially replacing Siddaramaiah, one of the party's tallest OBC leaders. Bommai questioned Rahul Gandhi's commitment to backward class politics, arguing that removing Siddaramaiah midway through his term would damage both the Congress's credibility and the broader INDIA alliance's OBC outreach. The BJP has now begun aggressively framing the possible leadership change as a contradiction to Rahul Gandhi's repeated emphasis on social justice and backward class representation. Congress insiders, meanwhile, are attempting to carefully manage the transition optics, aware that Siddaramaiah's AHINDA coalition of backward classes, Dalits and minorities remains politically crucial in Karnataka.

Karnataka CM News | Government Formation Live Updates: Scheduled to begin at 4 pm, the CLP meeting will be attended by party observers, who are expected to brief the Congress high command before a final decision is taken on leadership and organisational matters.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is expected to emerge as the frontrunner for the post.

A formal Congress Legislature Party meeting has been scheduled for Saturday at 4 pm in Bengaluru ahead of Shivakumar's oath ceremony as CM.

"The swearing-in ceremony of the new Chief Minister scheduled for Monday is not expected to bring any relief or significant change for the common people of the state," Bommai said.

For over three decades, every ruling party in Karnataka that changed its leader midway through a legislative term has been completely wiped out in the subsequent assembly polls

Bengaluru Congress leaders meet Saturday to choose their new chief. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is already discussing cabinet appointments. AICC leaders will attend the meeting. Shivakumar will take oath as CM soon. Senior leaders are vying for deputy CM posts. Cabinet expansion will follow consultations.