Siddaramaiah's absences fuel next-move speculation

Meanwhile, the Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now.

Key points

• Bengaluru: Congress Working Committee member Siddaramaiah skipped the party legislature party session chaired by chief minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday, his latest absence from key events, fuelling speculation.
• The absence of Congress leader Siddaramaiah from a significant party session has stirred up political chatter.
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• Shivakumar has sought to avoid any public impression of a rift with Siddaramaiah.
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Meanwhile, the Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now. Siddaramaiah's absences fuel speculation over next move. Siddaramaiah's absences fuel speculation over next move. ET BureauLast Updated: Aug 19, 2026, 11: 51: 00 PM IST.

For context, the absence of Congress leader Siddaramaiah from a significant party session has stirred up political chatter. Having declared he won't run in the 2028 assembly elections, the focus now shifts to his son Yathindra. This person is projected to carry on his father's political journey. With Shivakumar regularly seeking Siddaramaiah's advice and appointing Yathindra to the cabinet, these developments lead plenty of to doubt Siddaramaiah's commitment to an active role in politics.

Bengaluru: Congress Working Committee member Siddaramaiah skipped the party legislature party session chaired by chief minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday, his latest absence from key events, fuelling speculation. It comes weeks after Siddaramaiah remarked he would not contest the 2028 assembly election, citing growing influence of capital in electoral politics. He has remarked, even so, that he would remain active in public life. The former chief minister skipped the swearing-in of 19 new ministers at Lok Bhavan on August 3 and was additionally absent on the opening day of the assembly session last week. He attended the session on the second day, saying he had noticed media reports regarding his absence and wanted to put an end to speculation.

Siddaramaiah, who represents Varuna in Mysuru district, has built a solid political base around the Ahinda bloc – minorities, other backward classes (OBCs) and Dalits – and continues to command influence within the Congress and among a number of leaders in the Shivakumar cabinet. His latest absence comes against the backdrop of reports that he was unhappy after his choice for a ministerial berth, Byadagi MLA Basavaraj Shivannanavar, was overlooked during the recent cabinet expansion in favour of a woman MLA. Shivakumar subsequently asked the woman MLA not to take oath, a move that was seen as an attempt to address reservations within the party. Live Events.

Shivakumar has sought to avoid any public impression of a rift with Siddaramaiah. He has met his predecessor and consulted him before major decisions, including the cabinet expansion. He additionally inducted Siddaramaiah's MLC-son Yathindra Siddaramaiah into the cabinet and named him leader of the house in the legislative council, a privilege usually accorded to veterans. Siddaramaiah's decision not to contest in 2028 is not without precedent. He created a similar announcement after becoming chief minister in 2013 but returned to electoral politics in 2018, contesting from Chamundeshwari and Badami. He lost in Chamundeshwari but won Badami, and subsequently contested from Varuna in 2023, winning the seat and returning as CM for a second term. Siddaramaiah's latest decision is therefore being viewed with caution, particularly as his supporters are projected to press him to remain in electoral politics. Yathindra, who vacated Varuna for his father in 2023, is widely projected to seek the seat in 2028 and carry forward his father's political legacy. For now, Siddaramaiah's repeated absence from key events is projected to keep speculation alive over whether he is merely maintaining a lower political profile or gradually stepping back from active electoral politics. Add Now!

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In short, siddaramaiah' s absences fuel next is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.