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Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday ruled out accepting the resignation of senior Cabinet colleague Ramalinga Reddy, asserting that the issue would be resolved internally through discussions. Shivakumar's remarks came amid efforts by the Congress leadership to defuse the crisis triggered by Reddy's resignation announcement. "Under no circumstances will we accept his resignation," Shivakumar told reporters, signalling the government's determination to retain the senior leader in the Cabinet. The Chief Minister said he had received Reddy's resignation communication but indicated that discussions would continue before any decision was taken. "Ramalinga Reddy may have sent his resignation to me on WhatsApp. I was occupied throughout the night. Under no circumstances will we accept his resignation. I will speak to him. I will speak to everyone," he said. Shivakumar stressed that the matter would be addressed within the party and government rather than being allowed to .
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar early on Saturday said that the crisis triggered by Minister Ramalinga Reddy's resignation over portfolio allocation has been resolved after marathon discussions with the senior Congress leader. Shivakumar met Reddy for nearly two-and-a-half hours at a private hotel in Jayanagar late on Friday night amid efforts by the Congress leadership to persuade the veteran leader to withdraw his resignation. The meeting went on till the wee hours of Saturday. Senior Congress leaders and some of Reddy's close associates were also involved in the discussions. "This is a family matter. We will all sit together and talk. Everything has been resolved," Shivakumar told reporters after emerging from the meeting around 1.30 am. "He has expressed his grievance; it was a case of miscommunication. Something has happened, and we will sort it out. Don't worry, we will run everything first-class. We have given opportunities to all senior leaders, and we will set ...
Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy on Friday announced that he will tender his resignation from the post of minister, expressing displeasure over allocation of portfolio. The minister said he wanted the Bengaluru Development portfolio but was made minister for Major and Medium Irrigation projects. The resignation comes after Chief Minister D K Shivakumar allotted the portfolios on Thursday night. "I am resigning from my post because I cannot work against conscience," Reddy said at a press conference here. He said, "How long can I tolerate this humiliation and what else were options before me?" This was a major setback for the Shivakumar government, which came to power on Wednesday. The Congress leadership made a last ditch attempt in the middle of the press conference to persuade the disgruntled minister, but he remained firm in his decision. He told the leaders who approached him with the party leadership's message that the time is now lapsed to pay heed to any suggestions.
State Congress President D K Shivakumar took oath as the Chief Minister of Karnataka on Wednesday. He was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot at Lok Bhavan here. Shivakumar took the oath in the name of revered seer "Gangadhar Ajja", while holding a copy of the Constitution. Thirteen ministers, including a Deputy CM will take the oath along with Shivakumar. Shivakumar, a 64-year-old Vokkaliga strongman, was elected leader of the Congress Legislature Party in Karnataka on May 30, following Siddaramaiah's resignation as CM on May 28. Shivakumar had served as Deputy Chief Minister under Siddaramaiah. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, outgoing CM Siddaramaiah, AICC General Secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala, CMs of Congress ruled states, several top Congress leaders, dignitaries, and invitees were present at the swearing-in. Religious leaders from all major communities, incl
The Congress Legislature Party is scheduled to meet on Saturday evening here to elect its new leader, who will succeed Siddaramaiah as the next Chief Minister of Karnataka. D K Shivakumar, who served as Deputy CM under Siddaramaiah, is widely expected to be elected as the new leader of the CLP. Siddaramaiah's resignation as Chief Minister was accepted and the Council of Ministers was dissolved by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Friday. All lawmakers have been asked to attend the CLP meeting at 4 pm in Vidhana Soudha's conference hall, which will be overseen by AICC General Secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala. According to sources, Siddaramaiah himself will propose Shivakumar as the new CLP leader, or a one-line resolution may be passed authorising the Congress high command to choose the next leader. The swearing-in of the new Chief Minister is likely on Sunday or Monday, and it may be held on the iconic grand steps of Vidhana Soudha, official sources said. There
The Karnataka Assembly on Monday passed an amendment Bill aimed at regulating outdoor advertisements and enabling municipal bodies to levy and collect fees on hoardings and billboards across the state. The Karnataka Legislative Assembly adopted the Karnataka Municipalities and Certain Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, after it was moved by Urban Development and Town Planning Minister B S Suresha. The legislation empowers municipal councils and corporations to levy an advertisement fee on any person who erects, exhibits, fixes or displays an advertisement on land, buildings, walls, hoardings or other structures within municipal limits. The fee will be determined by local bodies through a resolution, subject to minimum and maximum rates prescribed by the state government. However, the Bill provides exemptions for advertisements related to public meetings of municipalities or corporations, elections to legislative bodies and candidature in such elections. It also mandates the display
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday announced sweeping reforms in the state's liquor taxation and regulatory framework, including the introduction of a new alcohol-based duty structure, deregulation of price fixation and technology-driven monitoring systems. He set an ambitious revenue target of Rs 45,000 crore from the excise sector for 202627. Presenting the state budget in the Assembly, the chief minister said the government would modernise the state's decades-old excise framework and introduce reforms aimed at improving transparency, compliance and ease of doing business. The chief minister said Karnataka would adopt a globally recognised taxation system that links excise duty to the alcohol content of beverages. "An Alcohol-in-Beverage (AIB) based excise duty structure is globally recognised as the gold standard for alcohol taxation, as it directly targets the alcohol content which is the primary source of negative externalities," he said. This will be introduced
The ongoing power tussle in the ruling Congress in Karnataka intensified with supporters of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar gathering at a hotel to discuss strategies to see their leader's elevation to the top post in the state. Magadi MLA H C Balakrishna organised the gathering where discussions were held "to end the confusion regarding power sharing". "Nearly 40 like-minded MLAs" gathered in the private hotel on Thursday night where it was decided to lobby for Shivakumar's elevation as the Chief Minister, Congress sources said. Speaking to reporters, Balakrishna, a Shivakumar loyalist, said his birthday falls on Saturday. "Since I will not be here (Bengaluru) from Friday morning as I am going out, I asked all 'like-minded people' to have a get-together on Thursday. We invited everyone and organised this gathering." When asked about what they discussed, the Magadi MLA said, "The discussion here was that in the present situation, if our party continues like this, it will be ..
The Karnataka government has requested the Ministry of External Affairs to extend all necessary assistance, coordinate with local law enforcement, and provide support to the family of a 22-year-old Indian postgraduate student who has gone missing in the US state of California. Saketh Sreenivasaiah, a student at the University of California, Berkeley, hailing from Karnataka, has been reported missing in Berkeley, California, since the morning of February 12, it said. In a letter to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Karnataka Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh said Saketh is currently enrolled in the Master of Science program at the University of California, Berkeley. According to information received from his family and housemates, his whereabouts remain unknown despite a formal complaint being lodged with the Berkeley Police Department, the letter dated February 13 stated. Given the gravity of the situation and the mounting anxiety of his family residing in the state, she requested the
The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday approved a five-year relaxation in the age limit for all candidates applying for government jobs through direct recruitment, applicable until December 31, 2027, official sources said. The relaxation applies to candidates across all categories. In September last year, the government had announced a three-year age relaxation. Under the new provision, for example, if the maximum age for a post is 35 years, candidates up to 40 years will now be eligible to apply. Officials said the move comes in view of recruitment delays caused by a freeze imposed in October 2024 while finalising internal reservation among Scheduled Castes (SCs). The freeze was lifted after the government fixed internal reservation quotas in August 2025: Group A (SC Left) 6 per cent, Group B (SC Right) 6 per cent, and Group C (Banjara, Bhovi, Korma, Korcha, and other 'most backward' communities) 5 per cent. Several elected representatives and organisations had petitioned for a five-
Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Thursday concluded his customary address to the joint session of the state legislature here after reading just two opening lines. After greeting the members, the governor remarked that he was pleased to address the joint session. "My government is committed to doubling the economic, social and physical development of the state. Jai Hind, Jai Karnataka," he read in Hindi. Congress members expressed strong displeasure over the Governor curtailing his speech, and raised "Shame Shame" slogans on the floor of the House. The brief appearance follows a tense standoff between the Lok Bhavan and the Congress-led government-- the latest in a series of Governor vs Government confrontations in non-BJP ruled states. Earlier, Gehlot was received at the steps of the state secretariat by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Legislative Assembly Speaker U T Khader, Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K ...
Karnataka has attracted new industrial investment proposals worth Rs 1.53 lakh crore in the 11 months following the Global Investors' Meet (GIM) held in February last year, Minister for Large and Medium Industries M B Patil said on Saturday. The investments are over and above the commitments secured during the GIM. Ahead of his visit to the Davos economic summit as part of a high-level state delegation, Patil said the government's investment outreach was a continuous process and not limited to the investors' meet. He said leading companies had shown interest in sectors, including manufacturing, renewable energy, data centres and global capability centres (GCCs). The proposals are expected to be submitted to Karnataka Udyog Mitra shortly, after which approvals will be processed expeditiously. Of the total proposed investments, Rs 66,293 crore is in manufacturing and industry, Rs 20,913 crore in wind and solar power generation, Rs 12,500 crore in GCCs, and Rs 6,350 crore in data ...
The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday decided not to accept the VBG RAM G Act and to take up a legal battle against the repeal of MGNREGA. The cabinet also decided to go to the people's court' against repealing' of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and introducing Viksit BharatGuarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act (VBG RAM G Act) in its place. Briefing reporters about the cabinet decision, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said, It is unanimously decided not to accept the (VB-G RAM G) Act and to challenge the same in the court of law. A cabinet note on the subject said the VBG RAM G is in violation of right to work and livelihood of the citizens as enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. The Act tramples upon the legitimate rights of Panchayats as vested by the constitution and is against the spirit of the 73rd and 74th amendments to the Constitution. The bottom-up planning approach, as per local
Siddaramaiah, who on Tuesday equalled Devaraj Urs' record as the longest-serving chief minister of Karnataka, while expressing confidence about him completing the full five-year term, maintained that the Congress high command will have to decide on it. He also said that he will discuss with the high command regarding the much-awaited cabinet rejig when they call him for discussion. In his second term as chief minister, Siddaramaiah on Tuesday, January 6, equalled Devaraj Urs' record as the longest serving Chief Minister of Karnataka for 2,792 days, and will surpass it on January 7. This unique record has come even as the power tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculations about a change in chief minister in the state, after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20. The speculation was fueled by the "power-sharing" pact between Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar in 2023. "I have not done politics to break any ...
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said that ultimately, Congress top leader Rahul Gandhi and the party high command have to take a decision on the CM change issue, and everyone will abide by their decision. He said that he has spoken to the high command, and the leadership have told him that they will decide. The CM's statement came a day after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the confusion over the leadership issue in the party's Karnataka unit exists only at the local level and not within the party high command. He had also said that the local leaders should take ownership of the internal disputes rather than blaming the high command. "I don't know about it. Rahul Gandhi and the high command have to decide. Whatever they decide, I'm committed to it," Siddaramaiah told reporters here in response to a question on Kharge's statement. Speaking to reporters here, he said, "I have spoken to the high command. They have said that they will decide. I will abi