DK Shivakumar hugs Siddaramaiah, touches his feet at breakfast meet

Amid mounting speculation over a leadership change in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar was seen touching Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's feet during a breakfast meeting hosted by the latter at his official residence in Bengaluru on Thursday.

The gesture came at a time when Siddaramaiah is widely expected to step down as Chief Minister, with Shivakumar emerging as the frontrunner to take over the post.

Several cabinet colleagues attended the breakfast gathering, which has triggered intense political buzz in the state. Shivakumar's public show of respect towards Siddaramaiah added to the significance of the meeting, even as discussions about a possible transition in leadership continue to gather pace.

Sources said Siddaramaiah could announce his resignation to pave the way for Shivakumar, possibly during or after the meeting. However, there has been no official confirmation so far from the Congress leadership.

Earlier, sources said that the Chief Minister sought an appointment with the Governor, Thaawarchand Gehlot, after the Congress high command reportedly indicated that a leadership change in Karnataka was on the cards.

While the 77-year-old leader was expected to meet Gehlot later in the day, reportedly to submit his resignation, sources at Raj Bhavan said the Governor is currently not in Bengaluru and has travelled to Indore due to a family emergency.

The latest developments come amid reports that the Congress high command has asked Siddaramaiah to step aside as part of a leadership transition in Karnataka, while also offering him a role at the national level along with a Rajya Sabha berth.

However, sources told India Today TV that Siddaramaiah was not keen on moving to the Rajya Sabha and instead preferred to continue as an MLA.

Sources also said that Siddaramaiah may have agreed to step down after the message reportedly came directly from senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The Chief Minister had earlier maintained that he would resign if asked to do so by the Gandhi scion.

Amid growing buzz over a possible resignation, supporters of Siddaramaiah assembled outside his official residence and raised slogans in his support.

The power struggle within the ruling Congress had sharpened after the government crossed the halfway mark of its five-year tenure on November 20, 2025, fuelling renewed speculation over a change in leadership.

Following the Congress victory in the May 2023 Assembly polls, both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, who also heads the party's Karnataka unit, were strong contenders for the top post. The party eventually persuaded Shivakumar to accept the deputy Chief Minister's role.

At the time, reports had suggested that the leadership deadlock was resolved through a "rotational chief minister" arrangement under which Shivakumar would take over after two-and-a-half years. However, the Congress has never officially acknowledged such an agreement.