Big drama in Karnataka; AICC likely to announce CM tonight

Bengaluru: Karnataka is witnessing a high-octane political drama as the race between senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah and state party chief D K Shivakumar for Chief Minister's post heated up following the election results.

The grand old party won 135 out of the 224 seats in the state assembly as the votes were counted on May 13 after the hotly contested assembly polls that got uderway on May 10. The BJP secured 66 seats, JD(S) was reduced to just 19 seats, while other candidates won four.

According to reports, the Congress high command is likely to announce the new Chief Minister of Karnataka on Monday night.

"Still haven't decided whether to go or not," says KPCC chief DK Shivakumar when asked about his visit to Delhi today
— ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2023

AICC leadership has summoned Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to Delhi for holding talks regarding the CM's post. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge will attend the meeting.

Though the newly elected Congress MLAs held a meeting to elect a new Congress Legislature Party leader who will be the next CM of Karnataka, they authorised Kharge to take the decision as Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar are among the top contenders. Observers appointed by Kharge will seek the opinion of the MLAs and inform the leader on Monday. A decision on the new Karnataka chief minister will be taken based on this report.

Amid the political negotiations, Shivakumar who is celebrating his birthday on Monday, visited his party MLAs at a private hotel in Bengaluru. He greeted his supporters who had gathered at his residence to wish him on his birthday. Talking to news agency ANI, Shivakumar stated that he has not taken a decision yet on attending the AICC meeting.

The Congress Legislature Party (CLP), which met at a private hotel in Bengaluru on Sunday evening, passed a unanimous resolution authorising All India Congress Committee (AICC) President M Mallikarjun Kharge to pick its leader, who will be the next chief minister of Karnataka.

The CLP meeting was attended by AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal and three central observers.

Before the meeting, Venugopal and the central observers held a meeting with the Leader of Opposition in the outgoing Assembly Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D K Shivakumar -- the two front-runners for the chief minister's post.

"The Congress Legislature Party unanimously resolves that the AICC President is hereby authorised to appoint the new Leader of the Congress Legislature Party," according to a one-line resolution passed at the CLP meeting. Siddaramaiah moved the resolution.
(With agency inputs)

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