Siddaramaiah may become the new Karnataka CM and DK Shivakumar Deputy CM: Report

As per a media report, sources confirmed that Congress leader Siddaramaiah will assume the position of Karnataka’s next Chief Minister and party’s state unit president D K Shivakumar will become Deputy Chief Minister. Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress National President will make a formal announcement in this regard as the party has made an impressive victory in the crucial assembly elections in Karnataka.

According to reports, Congress observers appointed by the party president will meet in Delhi and hold discussions with the central leadership, which includes Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Rahul Gandhi to formally seal the names of the new Karnataka CM - Siddaramaiah - and his deputy - D K Shivakumar - in all likelihood.

Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar are expected to arrive in Delhi to meet the Congress high command. However, sources revealed that both the leaders have been advised to come to Delhi only if summoned by the Congress top brass.  

Randeep Singh Surjewala, All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Karnataka earlier said that the party chief will soon announce the name of the next Karnataka Chief Minister.    

Speaking to reporters after a late-night meeting of newly elected Congress MLAs in Karnataka's Bengaluru on Sunday, Surjewala said, "Party leadership will take a decision. I can't replace my judgement with Kharge Sahab's judgement. He is our senior, and as you all know him. He is the son of the soil of Karnataka, and I'm sure he will not take very long."

"The winning party will be in the first cabinet when we will implement our first five guarantees," he said while responding to a query on plans for the oath-taking ceremony after the decision on the new CM of Karnataka.

After the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) unanimously came up with a resolution to authorize Party President Mallikarjun Kharge to pick the name of the Karnataka Chief Minister, the meeting was convened.

The meeting which started late on Sunday night at a hotel in Bengaluru, continued till 1.30 am. It was attended by all 135 newly elected MLAs. Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and party leaders Jitendra Singh and Deepak Babaria were present in the meeting as observers. Party leaders like Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar, KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh and others also attended the meeting.

"Entire process of meeting individual legislators of Congress party has been completed with great bohemia. The observers met all the MLAs separately and recorded their views and now they will submit a report to the Congress leadership and after that, we will announce the next leader of the Congress Legislature Party," AICC in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala further told reporters.

When asked if there were any gifts being planned for Siddaramaiah or DK Shivakumar on the latter's birthday, Surjewala said, "I am not a party to those discussions as General Secretary I'm a simple worker to Congress who stood out with all my legislatures. We were sitting together and planning the future of Karnataka which is more important to us. We also celebrated DK Shivakumar's birthday together."