The Congress party has finally performed the political equivalent of a hostage exchange in Karnataka. After months of whispers, denials, tantrums and choreographed smiles, Siddaramaiah finally resigned as Chief Minister, making way for his deputy, D.K. Shivakumar under the fabled “rotational formula” crafted after the Congress’s emphatic 2023 victory. The transfer of power was projected by the party as orderly, democratic and consultative. In reality, it resembled a palace co