‘Siddaramaiah new Karnataka CM, DK Shivakumar deputy CM’: Congress president to make formal announcement today

BangaloreHighly placed sources have confirmed that senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah will be the next chief minister of Karnataka and party’s state unit president DK Shivakumar will be his deputy, with Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge expected to make a formal announcement on Monday. hopefully. The party’s impressive victory in the crucial assembly elections in the southern state.

Congress leader and All India Congress Committee (AICC) Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala on Sunday night informed that party chief Mallikarjun Kharge will not take much time and will announce the name of Karnataka’s next chief minister very soon.

Speaking to reporters after a late-night meeting of newly elected Congress legislators in Karnataka’s Bengaluru, Surjewala said, “The party leadership will take a decision. I cannot change my decision with Kharge sahib’s. He is our senior, and you Know him as everyone. He is the son of Karnataka soil, and I am sure he will not take long.”

Responding to a question about the plans for the swearing-in ceremony after the decision of the new Chief Minister of Karnataka, he said, “When we will implement our first five guarantees, the winning party will be in the first cabinet.”

CLP authorizes Kharge to choose new chief minister

The meeting was called after the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) unanimously passed a resolution authorizing party president Mallikarjun Kharge to nominate the chief minister of Karnataka. The resolution read, “The Congress Legislature Party unanimously resolves that the AICC President is authorized to appoint a new leader of the Congress Legislature Party.”

The meeting, which started late on Sunday night at a hotel in Bengaluru, lasted till 1.30 am. All 135 newly elected MLAs participated in it. Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and party leaders Jitendra Singh and Deepak Babaria were present as observers in the meeting. The meeting was also attended by party leaders like Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar, KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh and others.

“The entire process of meeting individual MLAs of the Congress party has been done with great bohemia. The observers met all the MLAs individually and recorded their views and now they will submit a report to the Congress leadership and after that, we will move to the next Will announce the leader. Congress Legislature Party,” AICC in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala further told reporters.

When asked if any gift is being planned for Siddaramaiah or DK Shivakumar on his birthday, Surjewala said, “I am not party to those discussions as general secretary, I am an ordinary Congress worker who does my best.” Stood with all the assemblies. We sat together and planned for the future of Karnataka which is more important to us. We also celebrated DK Shivakumar’s birthday together.”

Why Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister of Karnataka?

According to sources, the Congress is eyeing the 2024 Lok Sabha elections after its victory in Karnataka. For the same, the Congress hopes to cash in on Siddaramaiah’s mass appeal across the state. The party is now hoping to project Siddaramaiah as its main ‘face’ and Shivakumar as its manager for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Ahinda Formula

The Congress believes that the Ahinda formula – popular in Karnataka – played a big role in its victory. Ahinda is a Kannada acronym for ‘Alpasankyataru’ or minorities, ‘Hindulidavaru’ or backward classes, and ‘Dalitaru’ or Dalits. Siddaramaiah is said to be adept at managing this vote bank and has a wide appeal among these communities. For this reason, the party does not want to go up against Siddaramaiah, who has a history of rebelling against former bosses in Janata Dal factions.

Earlier in the day, DK Shivakumar dropped major hints to the public about his desire for the top post. In a bid to woo Shivakumar, who is considered key to the Congress victory in Karnataka, the high command decided to bestow him with top state ministries. A large number of supporters gathered outside the residence of Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar in Bengaluru on Sunday and raised slogans of ‘we want to make DK Shivakumar the CM’.

The Congress, which registered an emphatic victory in Karnataka on Saturday defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was facing the challenge of deciding the chief minister amid speculation that Siddaramaiah would emerge after state party president DK Shivakumar. Earlier in the day, Kharge appointed three observers in Karnataka, including former Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and party leaders Jitendra Singh and Deepak Babaria, for the election of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader in the state.

According to the Election Commission of India, the Congress won 135 seats in the lone southern state, ousting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from power and boosting its prospects for further electoral battles. BJP managed to win 66 seats. The Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) had won 19 seats. Independents have won two seats while Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha and Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha have won one seat each.