Siddaramaiah asked to resign | Powertrip #150

Welcome to this week’s Powertrip, a political newsletter curated exclusively for subscribers of The News Minute and Newslaundry. This week’s edition is by Dhanya Rajendran, Shabbir Ahmed, and Pooja Prasanna.We have learnt that the Congress high command has asked CM Siddaramaiah to resign, putting an end to months of speculation about the Karnataka leadership tussle. The CM has sought a day’s time and has also rejected the high command’s suggestion that he contest a Rajya Sabha seat.For the next story, we spoke to TVK and other Tamil Nadu political sources on the AIADMK defection saga. While it seems TVK carefully engineered the operation, one name from the AIADMK emerged in the behind-the-scenes machinations, which may not surprise anyone.For those who can’t access the full newsletter, get a subscription and read every Tuesday..Inside TrackExclusive stories, for your eyes onlyNew CM for Karnataka soonAfter a meeting between Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, the party maintained that discussions were limited to the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in June.However, TNM has reliably learnt that Siddaramaiah was asked to tender his resignation. Though the Congress leadership wanted it done immediately, Siddaramaiah is learnt to have sought a day’s time, saying he wanted to return to Bengaluru, speak to cabinet colleagues and confidants, and then resign. It is now expected that Siddaramaiah will resign on Thursday, May 28. One leader told us that it was an amicable meeting where Siddaramaiah was thanked for his services to the party and asked to make way for others. Kharge and Rahul Gandhi pointed out that others too needed to be given an opportunity. Sources also confirmed to TNM that Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge asked Siddaramaiah to contest for a Rajya Sabha seat and become the Congress’s prominent OBC face in New Delhi. Siddaramaiah, however, is learnt to have disagreed with the proposal for now.This move by the Congress leadership is not entirely surprising. When the party came to power in 2023, DK Shivakumar had staked claim to the chief minister’s post. At the time, he was assured that the arrangement would be reviewed after Siddaramaiah completed two-and-a-half years in office.Over the last six to eight months, DKS has been mounting pressure on the party leadership to take a decision on the transition. AIADMK defections and Leema Rose: Why EPS is stuckThe resignation of four AIADMK MLAs and their immediate entry into the TVK has created a political flutter in Tamil Nadu. AIADMK sources say at least 12 more legislators could soon follow. So how did this saga of horse trading begin? Who engineered this operation and what could its political repercussions be? According to TVK sources, senior leader Sengottaiyan, a former AIADMK heavyweight, began sending out feelers to AIADMK MLAs soon after the Assembly election results were declared on May 4.A faction within the AIADMK led by SP Velumani and CV Shanmugam was initially prepared to defect en masse to the TVK. But the group is said to have placed several conditions before Vijay, including demands for 10 cabinet berths and key portfolios such as PWD, highways, and health. Another major demand was that the TVK sever ties with the Congress, which had already extended support to Vijay’s government.According to these sources, Vijay was unwilling to break ties with the Congress. He also insisted that any AIADMK MLA wishing to join the TVK must first resign from the Assembly and seek a fresh mandate through bye-elections.This model of horse trading is not entirely new. A similar strategy was seen in Karnataka in 2019, where the BJP managed to bring down the Congress-JD(S) government after several MLAs resigned from the Assembly and later contested bye-elections on BJP tickets. In TVK’s case, winning a few bye-elections will ensure they have a simple majority in the Assembly and not be dependent on allies. The AIADMK leadership led by Edappadi K Palaniswami is worried that more MLAs could resign and join the TVK in the coming weeks. But party insiders say their bigger concern is that the TVK is now in talks with a few legislators from the Edappadi camp itself. Unlike several rebel MLAs who face allegations and corruption cases, these legislators are seen as having a relatively cleaner public image, making them more attractive prospects for the ruling party.There is considerable outrage against the TVK for engineering these defections after campaigning on promises of political change and clean governance. One political leader told TNM that the staggered resignations were part of a calculated strategy by the TVK leadership. According to this leader, the party deliberately avoided triggering en masse resignations in order to test public reaction and manage the political fallout step by step.While SP Velumani and CV Shanmugam have publicly emerged as key figures in the rebellion, AIADMK circles are also abuzz with the name of another person allegedly operating in the background: Leema Rose Martin, the AIADMK MLA from Lalgudi. Leema is the wife of lottery businessman Santiago Martin and mother-in-law of Aadhav Arjuna, Vijay’s close confidant and a minister in the new TVK cabinet.According to AIADMK insiders, Leema allegedly acted as a facilitator in opening channels between dissident AIADMK MLAs and the TVK leadership. Yet, leaders say Edappadi Palaniswami is unable to openly confront her. The reason, according to multiple party functionaries, is the Martin family’s financial support to the AIADMK.Several leaders claimed to TNM that the family had donated around Rs 200 crore to the party over the last couple of years, though TNM could not independently verify this figure. Publicly available donation records, however, show that in 2024-25, a Kolkata-based company named Tiger Associates, which is reportedly linked to Santiago Martin, donated Rs 30 crore to the AIADMK. That amount alone constituted nearly 50% of the total donations declared by the party for that financial year.Whether similar contributions were made in 2025-26 remains unclear.Zero HourA political story of public importanceIrrepressible and resilient, the cockroach is a political metaphor for our times.The Cockroach Janta Party may not amount to much on the ground, but it offers potential at a constrained moment in Indian politics.PowermovesTop 5 political storiesWhy the Naidu govt needs to talk to women before offering cash to have more babiesUn-crushed cockroaches: Censorship only multiplies dissentAadhav Arjuna defends AIADMK MLAs defecting, Congress leaders disapproveKerala Chief Electoral Officer’s CMO posting, BJP accuses Cong of hypocrisyKarnataka Congress attacks Union over fuel price hike, to protest statewide on May 30