Karnataka CM Race Is On: Siddaramaiah in Delhi To Meet AICC Leaders

DK Shivakumar said, "It is my birthday today, I will meet my family. Afterwards, I will leave for Delhi."

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge with former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar during celebrations after the party's win in Karnataka Assembly elections, in Bengaluru.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint/PTI)

After a sweeping victory in Karnataka elections, all eyes are now on the Congress leadership to see who among the leaders Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar will get to be the chief minister of Karnataka.

Unanimous resolution: On Sunday, 14 May, evening, all newly-elected Congress MLAs gathered for the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting in Bengaluru's Shangri La hotel. A single-line resolution authorising All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge to appoint the CLP Leader – the Chief Minister – was passed in the meeting.

The two strong contenders: Both, former CM Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar were summoned to Delhi on 15 May.

While Siddaramaiah has arrived in Delhi to meet the party high command, DK Shivakumar cancelled his Delhi visit on Monday evening due to a "stomach infection" and reiterated that all 135 MLAs have decided to leave the decision with the party high command. "My aim was to deliver Karnataka and I did it," he added.

What happened at the CLP meeting? On Sunday, Congress made Sushilkumar Shinde (former chief minister of Maharashtra), Jitendra Singh (All India Congress Committee general secretary), and Deepak Babaria (former AICC GS) as observers for the election of the CLP Leader of Karnataka.

AICC General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, who is also in charge of the Congress’ Karnataka unit, Rajya Sabha member Jairam Ramesh, and other senior leaders of the party were also present in Sunday's meeting.

A day later, Jitendra Singh said:

"We have taken the views from all the MLAs, the meeting went on till 2 am. We have prepared a report and will submit it to the Congress president (Kharge)."

On Monday, Surjewala added, "The observers will submit their report to party president Mallikarjun Kharge by tonight. We will soon form the government in Karnataka."

Though Congress had put up a collective front for the Assembly elections 2023, both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have made strong claims to the CM post. In fact, supporters of both the Congress leaders put up posters outside their residences on Sunday, declaring them as the "next Chief Minister."

Despite the supporters' enthusiasm for their leaders, it seems the decision will be a swift one. Though the process is challenging, the grand-old party is happy as it decisively avoided resort politics and coalition drama by bagging 135 seats in the 224-member Karnataka Assembly polls on 13 May.