Siddaramaiah under tremendous pressure to not resign, but 'has given word,' says senior Congress MLA

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is widely expected to step down on Thursday, is under tremendous pressure from his supporters, including senior lawmakers, to not resign.

“We told [Siddaramaiah] not to resign. But he said he has given his word,” senior lawmaker RV Deshpande said. “All lawmakers who met him said he should continue. He said he can't since the high command had decided,” he said. “The CM has already decided to resign. He may resign tomorrow.”

Law & Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil, who met the CM, said he expressed “anxiety” over press reports about his resignation. “Some of us expressed our sense of concern. He was totally silent,” Patil said.

Ministers Dr HC Mahadevappa, Zameer Ahmed Khan, Eshwar Khandre, Santosh Lad, lawmakers KY Nanjegowda, B Nagendra, Umesh Meti, AS Ponnanna, GT Devegowda of the JD(S), MLCs Saleem Ahmed and Rajendra Rajanna met Siddaramaiah at his official residence Kaveri.

Earlier in the day, Industries Minister MB Patil maintained that there was no question of Siddaramaiah’s resignation. “All that is speculation,” he said.

Special Puja at Parameshwara’s home

There was a special puja held at Home Minister G Parameshwara’s Sadashivanagar residence. Parameshwara is a chief ministerial aspirant. Speaking to reporters, he said: “We don’t know what was discussed in Delhi. I don’t know for sure what decision has been made.”