After marathon talks, Congress convinces Ramalinga Reddy to stay in the Karnataka Cabinet

A day after senior Congress leader and eight-time MLA Ramalinga Reddy resigned from the Karnataka Cabinet over dissatisfaction with the portfolio allocated to him, the Congress leadership on Saturday (June 6, 2026) rejected his resignation and persuaded him to continue as a Minister.

The development came after a series of meetings involving Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Congress general secretary in charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala, and KPCC president B.K. Hariprasad.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Reddy said the party leadership had assured him that the concerns raised by him would be addressed at an appropriate time and made it clear that they wanted him to remain in the Cabinet.

“After the meetings, all the leaders gave me hope. The Chief Minister called me three times and met me yesterday. Mr. Surjewala met and spoke to me. They all said they wanted me to continue as a part of the Cabinet and that there was no question of accepting my resignation,” Mr. Reddy said.

He said the Chief Minister and senior Congress leaders requested him to remain in the government and assured him that the issues he had raised would be looked into in due course.

“They have rejected my resignation and I will respect the party’s decision. They asked me to continue in the Cabinet and I will do so,” Mr. Reddy said.

Late on Friday night (June 5, 2026), Mr. Shivakumar held a nearly two-and-a-half-hour meeting with Mr. Reddy at a private hotel in Jayanagar as part of efforts to resolve the issue. The discussions continued till the early hours of Saturday (June 6).

Further rounds of talks were held later in the day with Mr. Surjewala and Mr. Hariprasad, following which the Congress leadership decided to reject Mr. Reddy’s resignation, ending uncertainty over his future in the Cabinet.