Karnataka CM Race: Kharge Holds One-On-One Meet With Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah

According to AICC spokesperson Pawan Khera, a decision on the appointment of the Chief Minister of Karnataka will be taken by tomorrow.

The Congress party is holding marathon meetings since yesterday to zero in on the next Karnataka Chief Minister. With two senior leaders putting their claims forward for the top post, the Congress is looking to find a way out that is acceptable to both the leaders - Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar and former CM Siddaramaiah. While Siddaramaiah had reached Delhi yesterday, Shivakumar landed in the national capital today after cancelling his flight yesterday citing illness. 

D K Shivakumar today met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence in Delhi and discussed the modalities of government formation in Karnataka. Shivakumar reached Kharge's residence after 5 pm and held deliberations over the post of chief minister of Karnataka. He left after a 30-minute meeting and did not speak to the media. 

Following his meeting with Shivakumar, Kharge also held a meeting with Siddaramaiah to take his views. While many reports have claimed that Congress wants to go with Siddaramaiah as the CM and DK Shivakumar as his deputy, a formal announcement has not been made yet. As the suspense continues on the Karnataka CM face, Shivakumar is said to be firm on his demand for the CM post despite the decision being left to the Congress high command. 

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi has already met Kharge and other senior leaders to discuss the issue. According to reports, Kharge will take the final decision in consultation with Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. The announcement can be made in Bengaluru itself. Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah are frontrunners for the chief minister's post after Congress staged a thumping victory in the Karnataka Assembly elections by winning 135 out of 224 seats. An independent MLA has also extended his support to the Congress. 

According to AICC spokesperson Pawan Khera, a decision on the appointment of the Chief Minister of Karnataka will be taken by tomorrow. Khera told reporters here that the views of the newly-elected MLAs have been elicited and the central leadership is seized of the matter. "Appointing a Chief Minister is not an easy thing. It cannot be imposed from Delhi... Everybody's view has to be taken into consideration. We have to engage with every stakeholder and then decide who the chief minister will be," he said. "The process is on. The observers have already gone there. Met the MLAs. The MLAs have given their opinions. Now, the opinions have gone, all the record has gone to the central leadership. So, in a day or two you will know the answer," Khera said.