Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah To Resign At 3 PM Today; First Visuals From Breakfast Meet Show DK Shivakumar Hugging Him, Touching His Feet

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is likely to step down, hosted a breakfast for his Cabinet colleagues at his official residence, Kaveri on Thursday. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar was seen touching Siddaramaiah's feet during the breakfast meeting in the fist visuals that have surfaced from the meeting.

Siddaramaiah is likely to resign by 3 pm. Shivakumar is reportedly set to take over as the next Chief Minister. The photos come at a time when the party's top brass is working towards a smooth transfer of power.

Other ministers, including Priyank Kharge, KJ George, MB Patil, Ramalinga Reddy and HK Patil, were also present at the meeting.

Siddaramaiah Not Interested in Rajya Sabha Seat

Reportedly, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is not interested in a Rajya Sabha seat offered to him in exchange for paving the way for his deputy to lead the state. Siddaramaiah would continue as an MLA for the next two years, according to an NDTV report.

MLAs close to Siddaramaiah are likely to receive key portfolios in the government expected to be headed by Shivakumar.

Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot is currently not in Bengaluru. The Governor reportedly left the city at around 10.30 pm on Wednesday on an 11.30 pm flight to Indore, his hometown, due to a family emergency. No return flight has been booked yet.

However, Siddaramaiah will still submit his resignation to the Governor's office, India Today reported, citing sources in the Karnataka Chief Minister's Office.