India, May 27 -- Amid speculation that Karnataka Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah could be offered a Rajya Sabha seat as part of a plan to step down, people familiar with the matter told HT that he may "not be willing" to accept his deputy DK Shivakumar as his successor.

In that scenario, the party may consider Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as a compromise candidate for the chief minister's post. This arrangement could also allow Rahul Gandhi to position KC Venugopal as the next party president, allowing a broader organisational reshuffle at the Centre.

"However, this is the most remote option as of now," said a leader aware of developments, as stated in an earlier HT report.

As the leadership tussle intensifies in the state, the ...