'Don’t Know What Gift High Command Will Give On My Birthday': DK Shivakumar

Karnataka Congress Chief DK Shivakumar is celebrating his 62nd birthday today and this year it is special for him as his party registered a thumping victory in the Assembly elections.

The Vokkaliga strongman is a frontrunner to become the Chief Minister of Karnataka along with Siddaramaiah. However, the state leaders have left the decision to take a call on picking the next CM with the central leadership in the CLP meeting held on Sunday evening.

On asking whether he was expecting any good news from the high command, he said, "We have passed a one-line resolution. We will leave it to the party's high command. I have not decided to go to Delhi yet. I have done whatever job I have to do. I don't know what gift the high command will give on my birthday but the people of Karnataka have given us the numbers,"

His supporters have put up banners and posters referring to him as the "next CM of Karnataka." Hundreds of his followers gathered outside his house to greet him on his birthday. He was garlanded with flowers and presented flower bouquets before he left for the Shagri-La hotel in Bengaluru for a meeting of the Congress Legislative Party Meeting.

"I am celebrating the birthday of Shivakumar for 20 years. I am his close aide. Every year the cake is sported with a message that you are the future CM," ANI quoted a supporter , who also waited for hours to wish his favourite leader, as saying. He stated that the state chief should be made the CM in order to fulfil the poll promises, mentioned by Congress in its manifesto.

"The youth, Congress party, and everyone wants Shivakumar to be appointed as our Chief Minister," he said.

Before the elections, the KPCC chief had openly expressed his Chief Ministerial aspirations at various events, especially the ones connected with Vokkaligas. He had asked the dominant community, to which he belongs, not to lose out on an opportunity to make him the Chief Minister.

The Congress has won 135 seats in the Karnataka Assembly elections while the BJP and JDS have bagged 66 and 19, respectively.

Known as a "troubleshooter", DK Shivakumar is credited for Congress' stupendous performance in the Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysuru region as it won 37 out of 59 seats.

It has to be noted that there are instances where the KPCC Presidents, who led the party to victory in elections, are made the Chief Ministers. Notably among them are SM Krishna and Veerendra Patil.