BENGALURU, May 29 -- The most revealing moment of Karnataka's leadership transition on Thursday unfolded not at Raj Bhavan or outside the Congress Legislature Party office, but over breakfast inside the chief minister's residence, where Siddaramaiah gathered senior ministers to personally explain the end of his tenure and urge them to rally behind D K Shivakumar.

By the time ministers began arriving at Cauvery, Siddaramaiah's official residence in Bengaluru, the decision had already travelled through party channels in New Delhi. But several leaders present at the closed door meeting said the chief minister chose to address colleagues himself, speaking at length about the discussions with the Congress high command and the need for unity d...