Amid speculation that Karnataka Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah could step down, people familiar with the matter told HT that he may not be willing to accept his deputy DK Shivakumar as his successor. In that scenario, the party may consider Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as a compromise candidate for the chief minister's post.
The Congress is reportedly considering a Bihar-style formula to resolve the issue, where Siddaramaiah could be offered a Rajya Sabha seat and a potential cabinet position for his son Yathindra in return for stepping aside.
Four RS seats, including that of Kharge, are going to the polls from Karnataka in June, with Congress confident of winning at least three. However, Siddaramaiah is not in favour of Shivakumar succeeding him, citing poor ratings of the government and a low chance of coming back in the 2028 assembly elections.
Leaders in the Siddaramaiah camp are reportedly vouching for Shivakumar to fight the 2028 assembly elections, which they believe could weaken his chances and, in turn, his leadership claims.
