Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar Meet Guv, Stake Claim To Form K'taka Govt; Swearing-in on May 20

Senior Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar along with other Karnataka unit leaders met Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot at Raj Bhavan on Thursday and staked claim to form the next government in the state.

The Governor invited Siddaramaiah to take oath as Chief Minister and Shivakumar as Deputy Chief Minister along with their team members at 12.30 PM on May 20 at Kanteerva Stadium in Bengaluru, the Governor's letter addressed to the new CLP leader said.

Meanwhile, Congress MLA G Parameshwara visited Raj Bhavan as a representative of the party and met with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and handed him over the letter requesting him to fix the swearing-in ceremony of the new Congress government on May 20. He informed the Governor about the Congress Party's victory in 135 seats in the 2023 elections and the formation of the government.

Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, who had been in the national capital for several days after winning the Karnataka Assembly polls, left for Bengaluru in the afternoon. A Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting is scheduled to be held in Bengaluru at 7 pm today.

Following days of deliberation, the Congress party announced on Thursday that Siddaramaiah would be the next Chief Minister of Karnataka, with DK Shivakumar as the Deputy Chief Minister.

Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal made the announcement, stating that Shivakumar would continue as the state Congress chief until the Lok Sabha polls. He also mentioned that Shivakumar would be the only Deputy Chief Minister. The swearing-in ceremony for the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, and a group of ministers will take place on May 20.

The decision on the Chief Minister was made after discussions and meetings among party leaders, with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge being authorized by the newly-elected MLAs to select their leader. Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar both put forward their claims for the Chief Minister's position, leading to extensive deliberations before the final decision was reached.

In the May 10 elections for the 224-member Karnataka Assembly, Congress secured 135 seats, defeating the ruling BJP, which obtained 66 seats, while the Janata Dal (Secular) won 19 seats.