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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
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is widely expected to step down, hosted a breakfast for his cabinet colleagues at his official residence here on Thursday. His current deputy and possible successor, D K Shivakumar and other cabinet colleagues attended the breakfast meeting. It is being speculated that Siddaramaiah will announce his stepping down from the CM post to make way for Shivakumar, possibly at the breakfast meeting. The CM reportedly sought the Governor's appointment after the party high command apparently asked him to make way for a leadership change in the state. He also said he will speak on the matter on Thursday. Though the 77-year-old veteran was likely to meet Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot later today to apparently tender his resignation, Lok Bhavan sources said the Governor is not in the city; he has left for Indore for personal reasons. As the political heat rises in the southern state in anticipation of a new CM, AICC General Secretary in charge of ...
Senior Congress MLA and Chairperson of the Administrative Reforms Commission R V Deshpande on Wednesday said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told him he had decided to resign. The former minister, who met Siddaramaiah at his residence, said that when some MLAs insisted he should not resign, the CM replied that he had given his word to the high command and would respect it. According to sources, a number of ministers and legislators met Siddaramaiah at his residence and held discussions with him. They insisted he should not resign and said they would discuss the matter with the party high command. As per reports, some even suggested the matter be discussed at a legislature party meeting, but Siddaramaiah did not respond positively to any such suggestions. "I was with the CM. He said, 'I have decided to resign.' He has decided to resign. I did not question him about why he was resigning. We tried to persuade him, saying, 'Why don't you continue?'" Deshpande said. Speaking to repor
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday accused the central government and its agencies of consistently targeting Congress members by using searches on their properties, and questioned why similar action is not taken against BJP leaders. He was reacting to searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate on Monday on several individuals, among them the sons of Karnataka Congress MLA N A Haris and the grandson of former Union Cabinet minister K Rahman Khan, in connection with a cryptocurrency-linked money laundering case. "The central government always targets Congress leaders. Will they raid the houses of BJP leaders?" Siddaramaiah said in response to a question. More than a dozen premises in the city were searched as part of the operation carried out by the ED under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The premises searched comprised those of Mohammed Haris Nalapad and Omar Farook Nalapad, the sons of the MLA; Aqeeb Khan, the grandson of vetera
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
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said that usage of social media will be banned for children under the age of 16 and strict action will be taken to prevent drug abuse in schools, colleges and universities. Presenting the state budget for 2026-27, he assured that 15,000 vacant posts of teachers in schools and colleges will be filled next fiscal. "With the objective of preventing adverse effects of increasing mobile usage on children, usage of social media will be banned for children under the age of 16," he said. He announced that a grant of Rs 565 crore will be provided for the construction of new rooms and repair works in government primary, high schools, and Pre-University Colleges, Rs 75 crore for the construction of toilets and Rs 25 crore for the procurement of furniture in schools. A grant of Rs 125 crore will be made for the maintenance of government primary schools, high schools, and Pre-University Colleges. Stressing that schools, colleges and universities
Presenting his 17th budget on Friday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, by not adhering to the federal system of governance as per the constitution, the Centre is doing injustice to Karnataka. He also said that the state government is pursuing a development strategy that balances welfare programmes with investments in infrastructure and long-term economic transformation, while urging the Union government to be more sensitive to the state's demands. Presenting the budget for 2026-27, Siddaramaiah said Karnataka remains at the forefront of the nation's development and is among the largest contributors of tax revenues to the country. "Our state is at the forefront in all sectors of the nation's development; it is one of the key states that contributes the highest tax revenues," he said. Total expenditure for 2026-27 is estimated at Rs 4,48,004 crore, Siddaramaiah said. This is the 17th budget that he presented in his political career.
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 ..
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday asserted that whatever the Congress high command decides on the CM change issue is final, and that he will be committed to what the leadership says. He also clarified that he is not going to Delhi to discuss the issue, and will go only if he is called by the high command. The CM was responding to comments made by his deputy and another claimant for the Chief Minister post D K Shivakumar earlier in the day that he has "no confusion" over the leadership issue, as he and Siddaramaiah have discussed the matter in presence of the Congress high command. "I will not speak about it now. Whatever the high command says is final. There is no use of you asking unnecessary questions," the CM told reporters here. When reporters said that they were merely asking what Shivakumar had stated, a visibly upset Siddaramaiah said, "if he has said something, you ask him. I don't know. I'm committed to what the high command says." Stating that he is not go
The Special Court for Public Representatives on Tuesday reserved its order on a 'B-report' (closure report) in the MUDA land allotment case involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi B M and others to January 22. The Lokayukta police had filed a B-Report against Siddaramaiah and others citing lack of evidences', which the complainant Snehamayi Krishna had challenged. On Tuesday, the case came up before the Special Court where the former MUDA Commissioner Dinesh Kumar was present as an accused. The Special Public Prosecutor of the Lokayukta submitted the synopsis of relevant portions of the case. Krishna, who was present as the party-in-person, filed a written submission before the court. The Court reserved its order on B-Report on January 22. It also ordered for the physical appearance of the accused on January 17. In the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case, it is alleged that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife in an upmarket area in
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday dismissed media speculation about a possible change in the state's leadership, reiterating that he will abide by the Congress high command's decision. Speaking to reporters after briefly meeting top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at the airport, Siddaramaiah said there was no confusion within the party regarding leadership issues. He clarified that he did not hold any political discussions with Rahul Gandhi during the meeting. "No discussion has taken place today, and none is scheduled for the evening. He (Rahul Gandhi) is en route to Gudalur in Tamil Nadu and will return here later to fly back to Delhi. I will see him off again," Siddaramaiah said. Responding to questions about media reports on a possible leadership change, the CM said, "What speculations? You (the media) are the ones speculating. There is no such issue within the party. This question itself is baseless." Addressing rumours of confusion over a potential Cabinet ...
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 Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has congratulated Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as he is about to complete a record tenure, saying it is a proud moment and that the veteran Congress leader will continue to remain in the history books. "This is a happy moment. I wish him well. Everyone has an ambition to achieve in life. He has been in the history books in the past, and he will be (there) in the future too," Shivakumar told reporters, referring to Siddaramaiah surpassing the record of Devaraj Urs on Wednesday and becoming the longest-serving chief minister of Karnataka. On speculation about his own political future, Shivakumar said he has risen from a village background to his present position and asked reporters not to put words in his mouth. There was a stiff power tussle between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar over the top post in the southern state. It intensified in mid-November, after the Congress government touched the halfway mark in its tenure. Amid the heightened
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said that a proper investigation will be conducted into the Chitradurga bus accident in which at least nine people were killed. He expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident. At least nine people were killed when a speeding container truck crashed into a private luxury sleeper bus, which caught fire under the impact, near Hiriyur here at 2 am on Thursday, a senior police official said. The bus was on its way to Gokarna from Bengaluru. "My heart shook hearing the news of the horrific accident between a lorry (container truck) and a bus near Chitradurga in which many passengers were burnt alive. It is regrettable that the journey of those who were going home for the Christmas holidays ended in such a tragedy," Siddaramaiah posted on 'X'. He said, "A proper investigation into the accident will be conducted, and the cause will be found out. I pray that the souls of the deceased may rest in peace. I also share the grief of t