Siddaramaiah or DK Shivakumar? No Consensus Yet As Cong Meet On Karnataka CM Remains Inconclusive

The suspense over Karnataka's next chief minister continued on Tuesday as the Congress' high command is yet to announce its decision after a massive win in the southern state on Saturday.

The power struggle for leadership of the government in Karnataka is currently being contested between State Congress President DK Shivakumar and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar held separate meetings with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as the party held hectic consultations to decide on who would lead the government in the southern state.

Former party chief Rahul Gandhi also drove to Kharge's residence this morning and held an over 90-minute meeting, as reported by PTI.

The two leaders discussed the issue of chief ministership and modalities of government formation in Karnataka after the party staged a stunning victory in the May 10 assembly polls in which Congress won 135 out of 224 seats.

AICC general secretary in-charge for Karnataka Randeep Surjewala and general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal were also present during the meeting between Kharge and Gandhi.

Venugopal later separately met Gandhi at the latter's residence.

Top party leaders were, however, tight-lipped on who was the probable choice for the chief minister's post and by when the decision would be taken.

PTI Sources that discussions could also be held with Sonia Gandhi before the final decision is taken.

Earlier in the day, AICC spokesperson Pawan Khera said that a decision regarding the appointment of the Chief Minister of Karnataka will be revealed in a day or two. Khera informed reporters that the opinions of the newly-elected MLAs have been gathered and the central leadership is currently considering the matter.

Highlighting the significance of the Leader of Opposition post in every state, he questioned when the BJP will appoint the LoP in Karnataka.

"Appointing a Chief Minister is not a simple task. It cannot be imposed from Delhi... Everyone's viewpoint must be taken into consideration. We need to engage with every stakeholder and then decide who the Chief Minister will be," he stated.

"The process is ongoing. The observers have already been sent there. They have met with the MLAs. The MLAs have expressed their opinions. Now, the opinions and all the records have been forwarded to the central leadership. So, you will know the answer in a day or two," Khera added.

Regarding government formation, the Congress leader mentioned that the BJP took seven days in Uttar Pradesh, one month in Maharashtra, and nine days in Assam to establish a cabinet. He was responding to a query about when the party would announce a decision on the next CM of Karnataka.

When asked about the possibility of an alliance with the ruling BRS in Telangana for the 2024 Parliamentary elections, Khera stated that Telangana is one of the states where the Congress would confront regional parties directly and defeat them. He also ruled out the possibility of an alliance with AAP in Punjab.

Responding to dissident Congress leader Sachin Pilot's yatra in Rajasthan, Khera mentioned that the party would take action based on the report of the party's Rajasthan in-charge, who has gathered the views of party leaders in the state.

He acknowledged that there are multiple competent leaders within the party in various states, including Rajasthan, and only one leader becomes the Chief Minister. Khera stated that the party has its own mechanism to handle such situations, and they will act based on the report provided by their representative.

Khera also mentioned that the Congress party continues to have concerns about EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines), despite their victories in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka. He listed the concerns, including the tallying of VVPATs (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) with the results, alleged missing machines, faulty machines, and the alleged violation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on faulty machines.

Regarding the Congress' manifesto in Karnataka that mentioned a ban on Bajrang Dal and the possibility of initiating an investigation, Khera stated that action would be taken if any organization is found spreading hatred.