‘Never Thought I’d Become A Politician’: Siddaramaiah’s Farewell Message After Resigning As Karnataka CM

04:28 PM IST | May 28, 2026 | Bengaluru

In a move that had been widely anticipated yet still carried the weight of political history, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah submitted his resignation to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Thursday afternoon, ending a five-year tenure marked by welfare expansion, coalition management, and quiet administrative reform. Moments after stepping out of Raj Bhavan, the 78-year-old veteran offered a characteristically candid farewell.

“I never thought I’d become a politician,” Siddaramaiah told reporters, his voice steady but tinged with emotion. “I started as a student activist. The people of Karnataka gave me everything—love, respect, and the chance to serve. I leave this office with gratitude, not regret.”

His resignation clears the way for D.K. Shivakumar, the Congress party’s formidable state president and longtime troubleshooter, to take the oath as Karnataka’s 24th Chief Minister. The transition is part of a carefully negotiated power-sharing agreement reached before the 2023 assembly elections, which saw the Congress sweep 135 seats in the 224-member house.

The End of an Era

Siddaramaiah’s exit is more than a routine leadership change. It marks the conclusion of a political arc that began in the 1970s, took a dramatic turn when he left the Janata Dal (Secular) in 2005, and reached its zenith when he served as Chief Minister twice—first from 2013 to 2018, and again from 2023 to 2026.

Under his second tenure, Siddaramaiah oversaw the implementation of five flagship “guarantee schemes” that became a national template for welfare politics: the Shakti free bus travel scheme for women, Gruha Lakshmi cash transfers for female heads of households, Anna Bhagya additional food grain distribution, Gruha Jyoti free electricity up to 200 units, and Yuva Nidhi unemployment allowance for graduates and diploma holders.

“These schemes touched the lives of three crore families,” he said in his farewell address. “I may have resigned, but they will continue. They are not my schemes—they are the people’s rights.”

The Congress government’s welfare architecture, however, came with a fiscal cost. By mid-2025, Karnataka’s total guarantee scheme expenditure had crossed ₹58,000 crore annually, prompting debates about sustainability. Yet Siddaramaiah’s defenders argue that the schemes boosted the state’s human development indicators. In 2025, Karnataka’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) grew at 8.2%, outperforming the national average of 6.7%.

D.K. Shivakumar: The Troubleshooter’s Turn

As Siddaramaiah exits stage left, D.K. Shivakumar—known in Congress circles as “DK”—prepares to step into the spotlight. The 63-year-old from Kanakapura in Ramanagara district has been the party’s most visible organizational figure in Karnataka for over a decade.

Shivakumar’s political résumé reads like a manual for crisis management. In 2019, when the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government was hemorrhaging MLAs to the BJP, it was Shivakumar who camped in a Mumbai hotel for weeks, housing and feeding defection-prone legislators. When the BJP finally staked its claim, Shivakumar was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case—an episode he and his supporters maintain was politically motivated.

“He is the man who kept the Congress flag flying when the party was at its weakest,” said a senior Congress functionary who requested anonymity. “Now he gets the reward.”

Shivakumar’s leadership style is markedly different from Siddaramaiah’s. Where Siddaramaiah is cerebral, rooted in Vokkaliga agrarian politics, and often aloof, Shivakumar is gregarious, hands-on, and deeply embedded in the state’s Vokkaliga heartland. His appointment is expected to recalibrate Karnataka’s caste arithmetic, with the influential Vokkaliga community now occupying the Chief Minister’s chair after Siddaramaiah’s five-year run representing the backward classes—specifically the Kuruba community.

How the Transition Will Unfold

The mechanics of the leadership change are as carefully choreographed as a Bharatanatyam recital. Siddaramaiah tendered his resignation at 3:45 PM. By 4 PM, the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting was convened at Bengaluru’s Karnataka Bhavan, where Shivakumar was formally elected as the new leader.

The swearing-in ceremony is expected to take place on June 1, 2026, at the Vidhana Soudha, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi likely to attend, sources indicated. The new cabinet will likely retain most of the current ministers, though a few portfolios are expected to shift to accommodate allies and regional balance.

Shivakumar’s first challenge will be to maintain the fragile coalition with the Janata Dal (Secular) and other smaller allies that together give the Congress a comfortable majority. His second, more existential task: to sustain the guarantee schemes without triggering a fiscal crisis that could derail Karnataka’s investment story.

“Shivakumar inherits an economy that is strong but under pressure,” said Dr. Rajeshwari G., a political economist at the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru. “The state’s fiscal deficit is hovering around 2.8% of GSDP, which is manageable, but the revenue expenditure is mounting. He will need to balance populism with prudence.”

A Cockroach Janta Party Lesson

Meanwhile, an unusual political spectacle unfolded in the state’s hinterlands that offered an unintended metaphor for the leadership transition. In Chitradurga district, a group of disgruntled voters held a mock election titled the “Cockroach Janta Party” to protest the lack of hygiene in government ration shops.

The stunt, which trended on social media, featured candidates dressed as giant insects and a manifesto promising clean grains, transparent handling, and “no more bugs in our food.” While dismissed by mainstream parties as a gimmick, the protest resonated with exactly the kind of rural voters that the Congress’s guarantee schemes aim to reach.

“The ruling party and the Opposition should take note,” said local activist Shankarappa Gowda, who organized the event. “People are not stupid. They want delivery, not just announcements.” The lesson for Shivakumar is clear: welfare promises must be matched by execution.

Farewell to a Poet

As Karnataka’s political drama dominated headlines, the nation also bid farewell to a quieter giant. Noted Urdu poet Bashir Badr, 91, passed away in Bhopal earlier in the day after a prolonged illness. Known for ghazals like “Hum Panchi Unmatt Hai” and “Yun To Khwabon Mein Bahut Log Aate Hai,” Badr was a recipient of the Padma Shri and the Sahitya Akademi Award.

His death serves as a poignant counterpoint to the political hustle of Bengaluru. “Badr sahab’s poetry spoke of love, loss, and the human condition—timeless themes that remind us politics is temporary, but art endures,” said Urdu scholar Shahid Siddiqui.

Looking Ahead

For Siddaramaiah, the future remains unwritten. He has stated he will continue as an MLA and focus on party-building. For Shivakumar, the road is steep. He must unite a party that has internal factions, manage allies who are restless, and deliver on promises that have raised expectations sky-high.

As the sun set over Bengaluru’s Vidhana Soudha, the lights in the Chief Minister’s office went off for Siddaramaiah. Soon, new lights will turn on for Shivakumar. The question that lingers is whether that glow will illuminate a path of sustained progress—or cast shadows of unfulfilled ambition.

For now, Karnataka watches, waits, and remembers that in democracy, as in poetry, every ending is also a beginning.