Kumaraswamy thanked Rahul for allowing him to become CM: Congress

Kumaraswamy, who was in Delhi on Monday, met Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, and invited them for his swearing-in ceremony on May 23.

The main objective of the alliance between the Congress and the JD (S) in Karnataka is not "quest for power", but the development of the state, said Randeep Surjewala said on Monday (May 21). Surjewala, who is the Congress spokesperson, also said that Karnataka CM designate HD Kumaraswamy wanted a long-term relationship with the grand old party.

Kumaraswamy, who was in Delhi on Monday, met Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, and invited them for his swearing-in ceremony on May 23.

"It was an extremely cordial and warm meeting. HD Kumaraswamy sought blessings from Sonia Gandhi as an elder & head of the family. He thanked Rahul Gandhi for taking steps to form the coalition and offering CM's post to him despite Congress having the larger numbers," Surjewala told news agency ANI.

"He assured Rahul Gandhi that he'll continue to seek guidance both on governance & policy and welfare issues which is the agenda of Congress and JD(S) coalition. For both of us it is not a quest for power but for development of Karnataka," he added.

After the meeting, Kumaraswamy said that Congress' Karnataka general secretary KC Venugopal and local leaders will begin discussions tomorrow on modalities of the new coalition government.

This development comes amid speculations that there are some differences between two parties over the sharing of cabinet berths. There were reports that the Congress may get the bigger share in the ministry. The Congress feels that it should get the lion's share in the ministry as it has 78 MLAs in compared to the 38 held by the JD(S). The two parties are also yet to decide on what role the two independent MLAs should play in the government.