OBC face in Delhi, bigger role in 2029 polls: What Congress offered to Siddaramaiah

Karnataka may be headed for its biggest political reset since the 2023 Assembly elections, with Congress sources claiming Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has been asked by the party high command to step down, move to Delhi through the Rajya Sabha, and take up a larger national role ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

The dramatic behind-the-scenes push unfolded through nearly seven hours of meetings in Delhi on Tuesday, even as senior Congress leaders publicly denied any discussion on leadership change and insisted that talks were restricted to Rajya Sabha and Karnataka Legislative Council elections.

But behind the official denials, sources described intense negotiations, persuasion attempts and a carefully crafted political offer aimed at convincing the veteran Karnataka leader to vacate the Chief Minister’s chair without triggering open rebellion in the state unit.

According to sources, Siddaramaiah was told by the Congress leadership that the party now needed him in Delhi as one of its most prominent OBC faces, particularly at a time when Rahul Gandhi has aggressively sharpened the Congress’s social justice and caste census pitch across the country.

“He was told that he is a major OBC face and the party wants him to play a much bigger role nationally in the run-up to the 2029 Lok Sabha elections,” a source familiar with the discussions said.

Sources added that the leadership assured Siddaramaiah that “all other things and his issues will be taken care of” if he agreed to move to Delhi through the Rajya Sabha route.

The proposal, however, has not yet received Siddaramaiah’s approval.

Sources said the Karnataka Chief Minister did not give a definitive answer during the meetings and instead sought more time, triggering a fresh phase of uncertainty inside the Congress.

Soon after returning from Delhi, Siddaramaiah reportedly went into a huddle with close ministers and trusted aides as consultations over the Congress proposal intensified.

THE DELHI FORMULA

The Congress leadership’s pitch appears to be part political rehabilitation, part electoral calculation and part succession planning.

At the centre of the plan is the party’s growing belief that Siddaramaiah’s stature as a backward class leader can be deployed more aggressively at the national level as Congress prepares for the 2029 Lok Sabha battle.

The Rajya Sabha route also gives the party a politically smoother exit formula, allowing Siddaramaiah to move to Delhi with stature and relevance intact instead of appearing to have been pushed out of Karnataka politics.

The timing is equally crucial.

Nominations for the Rajya Sabha elections are to be filed by June 8, leaving the Congress leadership with limited time to finalise both its Karnataka transition plan and its parliamentary arithmetic.

Sources said the Congress leadership was particularly careful not to antagonise Siddaramaiah during the discussions and framed the move as a promotion rather than a removal.

INSIDE THE MARATHON MEETINGS

The series of meetings stretched for almost seven hours and involved multiple rounds of discussions.

One key one-on-one interaction reportedly included Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, where Siddaramaiah was directly told that the party wanted him to end his tenure as Karnataka Chief Minister and shift to a larger organisational role at the Centre.

The broader meeting at the Congress headquarters was attended by Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, KC Venugopal and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala.

Even as speculation spiralled outside the venue, the Congress maintained complete public silence on any leadership transition.

CONGRESS PUBLICLY DENIES CHANGE

Speaking after the nearly two-hour formal meeting, KC Venugopal dismissed reports of a Karnataka leadership reshuffle.

“Today’s discussion was only around Rajya Sabha polls and MLC elections. Whatever you speculated is not true,” Venugopal told reporters.

“We had a meeting. CM, DCM and Randeep were present. The entire discussion concentrated on Rajya Sabha and MLC seats today. Stop speculation,” he added.

Neither Siddaramaiah nor DK Shivakumar addressed the media on the leadership issue while leaving the venue.

DK SHIVAKUMAR RETURNS TO CENTRE STAGE

Even though sources said there was no formal discussion on who would succeed Siddaramaiah, the developments have once again brought Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to the centre of Karnataka’s power politics.

For nearly two years, supporters of DK Shivakumar have maintained that a power-sharing understanding existed when the Congress formed the government in 2023, with Siddaramaiah taking over first and Shivakumar expected to eventually succeed him.

The Congress leadership has never publicly acknowledged such an arrangement, but the speculation has never entirely disappeared either.

Now, with sources indicating that Siddaramaiah may be moved to Delhi, chatter around DK Shivakumar becoming the next Chief Minister has intensified sharply within the Karnataka Congress.

Yet the leadership appears keen to avoid projecting the transition as a victory for one camp over another, aware that any perception of humiliation for Siddaramaiah could deepen factional fault lines in the state unit.

THE BIGGER 2029 CALCULATION

The Congress’s outreach to Siddaramaiah also reflects the party’s broader political recalibration ahead of 2029.

Rahul Gandhi’s repeated focus on caste representation, OBC politics and social justice has increasingly shaped the Congress’s national messaging, particularly after the party’s gains among backward class voters in several states.

Within that framework, Siddaramaiah is being viewed not merely as a Karnataka leader, but as a national OBC face capable of strengthening the Congress’s social coalition against the BJP.

The Karnataka transition, therefore, is not just about a Chief Ministerial change. It is tied to the Congress’s attempt to redraw its national political strategy ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections.

RAJYA SABHA NUMBERS AND THE NEXT MOVE

Sources said the official agenda of the Delhi meetings revolved around Rajya Sabha and Karnataka Legislative Council elections.

Of the four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka falling vacant, the Congress is expected to comfortably secure three, while the BJP is likely to win one.

Kharge is likely to be renominated to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka. The Congress is also considering the candidature of DK Shivakumar’s brother DK Suresh, along with a possible woman or OBC nominee.

For now, however, the Congress’s carefully planned Karnataka reset appears stuck at one crucial point - Siddaramaiah is yet to say yes.

- Ends