Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is set to leave for New Delhi at 7 pm today for a meeting with the Congress high command, according to sources familiar with the matter.
During his visit, Siddaramaiah is expected to meet senior party leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal. “The meeting is purely political,” sources told businessline.
The discussions are expected to focus largely on the long-pending Cabinet reshuffle in Karnataka. The meeting comes three years into the Congress government’s five-year term and amid a prolonged power tussle between Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar over the state’s leadership.
Speculation around a leadership change has resurfaced in recent weeks. When asked recently in Chamarajanagar about his prospects of becoming Chief Minister, Shivakumar said that only “time and muhurta” would provide the answer.
Pressure for a Cabinet reshuffle has also been mounting from within the party. Several MLAs and ministers have publicly and privately sought changes in the ministry, with some even setting deadlines for the exercise. With the government having completed three years in office in May 2026, the Congress is also beginning to prepare for the 2028 Assembly elections.
Earlier this year, a group of first-time Congress legislators reportedly wrote to Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge seeking representation in the state Cabinet ahead of a possible reshuffle. The letter was also addressed to Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.
The MLAs urged the party leadership to induct at least five first-time legislators into the ministry, arguing that the reshuffle presents an opportunity to bring fresh faces into governance and strengthen the party ahead of future electoral battles.
Published on May 25, 2026