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New Delhi: Ending the long-standing suspense over who will be the next Chief Minister of Karnataka, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday picked Siddaramaiah to lead the southern state. News agency ANI reported that Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar will be the Deputy CM. The oath ceremony will be held in Bengaluru on May 20, reported ANI. The grand old party has also called a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) convened in Bengaluru at 7 pm today. Siddaramaiah’s supporters were seen splashing milk on his posters, bursting crackers and raising slogans in his support outside his residence in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Earlier on Wednesday, Shivakumar held several meetings with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi and state unit in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala and party general secretary KC Venugopal. Speaking to the media after reaching Venugopal’s residence, Kanakapura MLA Shivakumar said, “There is nothing to reveal. We have left it to the high command. The high command will take a call. I am going to rest.”
Siddaramaiah will be the next Chief Minister of Karnataka and DK Shivakumar will take oath as the Deputy Chief Minister. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge reached a consensus to form the Karnataka government. The swearing-in ceremony will take place in Bengaluru on May 20. pic.twitter.com/CJ4K7hWsKM– ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2023
He made the remarks after he was asked by the media about his multiple meetings with top Congress leaders. Before Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah also met Venugopal on Wednesday evening. Siddaramaiah had also met Rahul Gandhi at his residence here on Wednesday.
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The Congress, which registered a landslide victory in Karnataka on Saturday, held a CLP meeting in Bengaluru on Sunday evening. He submitted the report of the CLP meeting and voting through secret ballot to Kharge on Monday afternoon.
The results of the assembly elections were declared on Saturday and the newly elected Congress MLAs authorized Kharge to take a decision on Sunday. With the action shifting to Delhi, both former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar reached Delhi. The Congress won 135 seats in the recently held elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly.
