Siddaramaiah holds pre-budget meeting for 2026-27 with trade bodies

CM Siddaramaiah chaired a pre-budget meeting for 2026-27 with trade bodies. Concurrently, Congress MLA Ravikumar Gowda Ganiga backed DK Shivakumar for CM, highlighting the ongoing leadership tussle within the Karnataka Congress party.

Siddaramaiah Chairs Pre-Budget Meet for 2026-27

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday convened a pre-Budget meeting for 2026-27 with representatives of trade associations and chambers of commerce at the Vidhana Soudha conference hall.

Economic Advisor Basavaraja Rayareddy, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, Additional Chief Secretary Anjum Parvez, Principal Secretary of the Finance Department Ritesh Kumar Singh, and senior officials from various departments were present to discuss industry demands and suggestions ahead of the upcoming state budget.

In a post on X, the chief minister wrote, "The pre-budget meeting for the 2026-27 financial year was held in the Conference Hall of Vidhana Soudha with representatives of various trade associations and chambers of commerce, where their demands and suggestions were heard."

"Economic Advisor Basavaraj Rayareddy, Chief Secretary to the Government Dr. Shalini Rajneesh, Additional Chief Secretary Anjum Parvez, Principal Secretary of the Finance Department Ritesh Kumar Singh, and senior officers from various departments were present at the meeting," the post read.

Leadership Tussle Brews in Karnataka Congress

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Congress MLA Ravikumar Gowda Ganiga, while throwing his weight behind DK Shivakumar for the Karnataka Chief Minister's post, claimed that all 136 Congress leaders are in favour of DK Shivakumar and expressed firm confidence that no one can stop Shivakumar from becoming the Chief Minister.

The Congress MLA stated that DK Shivakumar should become the Karnataka Chief Minister and expressed confidence that the transition will happen soon.

"D.K. Shivakumar should become CM. It will happen soon, there is no second word on it even today, there is no change," Ganiga said.

"No one can stop DK from becoming the CM. D.K. Shivakumar has been in politics for 40 years. He has the political strategy and intelligence to win the game. He is silently moving the coin, which means he will win the game. Politics is the game. 136 players are in favour of DK. The answer will come very soon. Why are we going to BJP? DK will become the CM from our party," he said.

These remarks came as the Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister held high-level meetings with Congress leaders at the AICC in New Delhi.

The leadership tussle within the Karnataka Congress began in November last year, when the government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term. Along with CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, Home Minister G Parameshwara is also in the fray for the top post. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)