DK Shivakumar won't be CM, says Siddaramaiah

Even as the Congress appears to douse raging tempers in Karnataka, veteran leader Siddaramaiah on Monday said that he is among the chief ministerial aspirants in the event of the party coming to power after the state assembly elections.

He further asserted that his rival and party chief D.K. Shivakumar does not stand a chance in the race for the top post.

In an exclusive interview to NDTV, Siddaramaih asserted, "I am also an aspirant. DK Shivakumar is also an aspirant for the Chief Minister post... the high command won't give the CM post to DK Shivakumar."

With Siddaramaiah too along with Shivakumar nursing chief ministerial ambitions in the event of the party coming to power in the state, there seems to be a game of political one-upmanship, between the two leaders as the election nears.

There is also palpable worry within the party about a virtual division getting created between the camps of both leaders, and its adverse impact on its prospects in the polls.

Though both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have on record maintained that the CM will be decided by party's newly elected MLAs and high command on gaining majority in the polls, their loyalists and camps are hellbent to project their respective leader, making things messy.

The fight for the Chief Minister's post in Congress is getting stronger day by day in Karnataka as the state election draws close. Apart from Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, there is M B Patil from the Lingayat community, Satish Jarkiholi (ST), G Parameshwar (Dalit) and Zameer Ahmed Khan (Muslim) who have also thrown their hat into the ring.

Siddaramaih people's choice for CM post

ABP News C Voter Survey conducted a snap poll to learn about the top choice for the Chief Minister's post by peering into the minds of various castes. In the survey, leader of opposition Siddaramaiah emerged as the clear favourite for the position of Chief Minister.

According to the poll, 39.1 percent respondents want Congress' Siddaramaiah as their CM, while 31.1 percent still wanted Basavaraj Bommai.

While 21.4 per cent of Brahmins consider HD Kumaraswamy worthy of the post only 3.2 per cent chose DK Shivakumar, the Congress state president, as their preferred CM face.