News in Frames | Bringing water to a scorching desert

A group of farmers from delta districts embarked on a journey to Mekedatu in Karnataka where they have planned to lay siege to the site where the Karnataka government proposed to build a dam across the Cauvery.According to P.R. Pandian, general secretary, Thamizhaga Cauvery Vivasayigal Sangam, the delta farmers have decided to register their protest by staging a demonstration at Mekedatu on May 31 as their earlier pleas for not to go ahead with the dam construction had failed to evoke favourable response.The protesting farmers’ group, headed by him, left Thanjavur on Saturday morning after garlanding the statue of Raja Raja Chola near the Big Temple. The team would pass through Tiruchi, Namakkal, Salem, Dharmapuri, and Hosur to enter Karnataka through the Zuzuvadi inter-State border to reach proposed Mekedatu dam site on May 31. Published - May 30, 2026 04:57 pm IST

Home News India Karnataka It is being speculated that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would announce his decision post the breakfast meeting Updated - May 28, 2026 07:49 am IST Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seen at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on May 27, 2026. | Murali Kumar Amid fast-paced developments in Karnataka, all eyes are now on the breakfast meeting today (May 28, 2026) being hosted by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has been asked by the Congress high command to move to the Rajya Sabha, thus paving the way for a leadership change. Congress sources also indicated that the Congress Legislative Party meeting, where the likely successor of Mr. Siddaramaiah could be named or elected, is likely to be held on Friday (May 29, 2026).It is being speculated that the Chief Minister would announce his decision post the breakfast meeting. There is an indication that he might meet the Governor later in the day. AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, and party general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal are also expected to reach Bengaluru to oversee the transition.Follow live updates here:May 28, 2026 07:49 Replug from 2025 | In a state of political flux Karnataka politics seems to be undergoing a churn with leadership tussles in two national parties emerging prominently in public discourse. If the tussle in the ruling Congress over the last few months has taken the focus away from governance issues to the so-called “secret understanding” over the sharing of power, the fractured State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is losing out on opportunities to corner the Congress both on governance and political issues.As political developments gather steam in Karnataka, read this analysis by Sharath S. Srivatsa, on how leadership issues plague the two major parties in KarnatakaMay 28, 2026 07:31 Congress high command wants Siddaramaiah to move to Rajya Sabha, sources say, even as party officially deniesLeadership change in Karnataka appears imminent, after it emerged on Tuesday (May 26, 2026) that the Congress high command has offered Chief Minister Siddaramaiah a seat in the Rajya Sabha as a candidate in the forthcoming elections.Whether or not Mr. Siddaramaiah agrees to be a candidate for the June 18 Rajya Sabha polls, sources close to him indicated that he is likely to announce his decision on May 28. His deputy D.K. Shivakumar has been an aspirant for the State’s top post ever since the Congress government reached its half-year-mark in November 2025. However, Mr. Siddaramaiah need not resign immediately, sources said.Click below to read more on this:Leadership tussle in Karnataka: Congress high command wants Siddaramaiah to move to Rajya Sabha, sources say, even as party officially deniesThe Congress high command reportedly nudges Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah towards Rajya Sabha candidacy amid speculation of leadership change.May 28, 2026 06:46 Siddaramaiah seeks governor's appointment, might make way for ShivakumarA change of guard in the three-year-old Karnataka government seems imminent, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seeking the Governor’s appointment, a day after he was apparently asked by the party high command to make way for his deputy D.K. Shivakumar’s elevation to the top post, but said he will speak on the matter today.As the political heat rises in the southern state in anticipation of a new CM, AICC General Secretary in charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, clarified that the Congress has not called for a meeting of its legislature party in the state and that no other decision has been taken yet.He requested the media not to speculate on the issue. Mr. Surjewala, who arrived in Bengaluru on Wednesday, also met Siddaramaiah and other senior leaders.-PTIMay 28, 2026 06:38 Leadership change in Karnataka? All eyes on CM Siddaramaiah’s breakfast meeting with Cabinet colleagues on May 28 Amid fast-paced developments in Karnataka, all

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah receives the Karnataka Socio-Economic and Educational Survey report, on May 27, 2026. | This gains particular significance in the light of Mr. Siddaramaiah’s legacy as a tall leader of the OBC bloc, and the report being viewed as part of his legacy.While Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi at the national level has been pushing for caste survey and increased reservation for OBCs, this report had been hanging fire in Karnataka. The push back had come from the dominant Vokkaliga and Veerashaiva-Lingayat communities. The survey will potentially weigh heavily on the Congress government, with opposing caste interests at play.This is the report of the second survey conducted by the commission headed by Madhusudan Naik. The earlier survey conducted by H. Kantharaj Commission in 2015, the report of which was submitted by Jayaprakash Hegde-led commission in 2024, had been shelved citing that it is “oudated data.”The second survey had been opposed by people within the Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet, including Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Industries Minister M.B. Patil, who belong to Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities, respectively. Notably, Mr. Shivakumar is now the strongest conteder to succeed Mr. Siddaramaiah in the event of power transition in Karnataka. Published - May 27, 2026 06:55 pm IST

The Cauvery Rights Retrieval Committee has exhorted the newly formed Tamilaga Vettri Kaazhagam government to ensure that Karnataka complies with the final award given by the Supreme Court in the Cauvery water dispute.Committee coordinator P. Maniarasan told The Hindu in Thanjavur on May 21 that the Cauvery River Protection Committee in Karnataka, headed by the retired Supreme Court Judge V. Gopala Gowda, convened a meeting on May 9 this year and had passed a resolution urging the Karnataka government to file a review petition in the Supreme Court.Claiming that the allocation of 177.25 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu was on the higher side, the CRPC wanted their State government to file a review petition seeking reduction of the allocation to Tamil Nadu.Stating that the failure on the part of the successive governments in Tamil Nadu to ensure the interests of the State were protected in the Cauvery water sharing issue had emboldened the CRPC to make such a demand, Mr. Maniarasan called upon the TVK government in Tamil Nadu to take a firm stand on the issue and protect the interest of the State without any compromise.While urging the State government to take steps on priority to get the Tamil Nadu’s due share in the Cauvery for this water year before May 30, as directed by the Cauvery Water Management Authority in its recent meeting, he urged Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to constitute an expert committee to visit Karnataka to inspect the dams across the Cauvery river in Karnataka and the site selected by that State government for the construction of a new dam at Mekedatu.Industrial parkThe CRRC has urged the new government to withdraw the previous DMK government’s proposals of setting up industrial estates through the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) at Sengipatti in Thanjavur district and at Korkai in Tiruvarur district.Formation of industrial parks for encouraging industrial activities other than agriculture- related project would nullify the objective with which the Tamil Nadu Protected Agricultural Zone Development Act was enacted in 2020, he added. Published - May 21, 2026 05:26 pm IST