In 2013, 2018, and then again in 2023, Siddaramaiah said he would quit politics, but he didn’t. Now he indicates that he is considering 2028 as well, despite making claims that this time he really wants to hang up his boots from active politics.

At the age of 77, the term “retirement" plan has started to sound more like an extended political pause than an exit.

At the News18 Rising Karnataka conclave, Siddaramaiah dropped a hint that set the tone for the months ahead: “My well-wishers want me to contest in 2028. Let’s see, I haven’t decided yet."

It came at a crucial moment — as murmurs over a mid-term power shift grew louder. With his loyalists pressing for a full five-year term and DK Shivakumar’s camp reminding everyone of the “2.5-year formula," Siddaramaiah’s words sounded less like indecision and more like a signal.

By November 20, he completes 2.5 years in office. The timing couldn’t be sharper. The unwritten deal with Shivakumar reaches its midpoint just as sources in the Congress hint at a cabinet reshuffle around November 15. But party insiders say the real script will unfold only after both leaders meet the high command in Delhi — likely after the Bihar polls.Siddaramaiah’s son, Yathindra, the MLA from Varuna, publicly put his father in an embarrassing position. He said his father was “at the fag end of his career" and that leaders like Satish Jarkiholi should take the AHINDA mantle forward. It embarrassed not just the Chief Minister, but the entire Congress was at a loss of words.

Clarifications followed swiftly that Yathindra only meant Jarkiholi was carrying forward the AHINDA ideology. But the damage was done. It was seen as a hint that nobody could ignore.

Interestingly, Jarkiholi has long been one of Siddaramaiah’s most loyal lieutenants. When Siddaramaiah quit the Janata Party in 2006, Jarkiholi followed without hesitation. So did another trusted aide, HC Mahadevappa.

Even Iqbal Hussain of Ramanagara — a vocal supporter of DK........

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