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five-year-long stable government and urged people not to believe in speculation and “fake news” which it alleged was being peddled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Top Congress sources have told CNN-News18 that the Karnataka CM post tussle is so far only between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar as no third name is discussed during back-to-back meetings with top leadership of the Congress. Both the CM post aspirants to stay back in Delhi and no muscle flexing was done in front of party leader Rahul Gandhi during their meetings with him. Moreover, Gandhi has told party national president Mallikarjun Kharge today that neither he nor anyone from his family will decide or give opinion on the matter.
The party engaged in intensive discussions to determine a suitable leader for the government in the southern state. Another round of meetings with Shivakumar happened at around 10 am today, which reportedly worked as the deciding factor for the party.
Earlier, Gandhi also paid a visit to Kharge’s residence, where they held a lengthy meeting lasting over 90 minutes. Their conversation revolved around the chief ministership and the process of establishing a government in Karnataka, following the remarkable victory of the Congress in the May 10 assembly elections, where they secured 135 out of 224 seats.
During the meeting between Kharge and Gandhi, AICC general secretary in-charge for Karnataka Surjewala and general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal were also present.
Sources said that final discussions could also be held in the presence of former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.
Former chief minister Siddaramaiah, who has been camping in Delhi since Monday, met Kharge on Tuesday and discussed various issues related to Karnataka government formation. Siddaramaiah later drove to Venugopal’s residence for a meeting.
Karnataka Congress president Shivakumar arrived in Delhi from Bengaluru on Tuesday and drove straight to his brother’s residence. He later met Kharge at around 5 pm and the meeting between the two lasted around half an hour.
Shivakumar earlier said the party is his mother and there was no question of his resigning from the organisation. “We have built this party. No question,” he said when asked about reports that he may resign from the party if not given the chief minister’s post.
“If any channel is reporting that I am resigning from the post, I will file a defamation case against them,” he added.
On whether he will also meet Rahul Gandhi, he said, “I have to meet all leaders. First, I have to meet my Congress president.” “My high command is there, my party is there, our MLAs are there – 135,” Shivakumar said as he left the residence of his brother and Bengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh.
Suresh said that since the party has won under his (Shivakumar’s) leadership as Pradesh Congress chief, he had the right to stake his claim on the top post.
He had earlier met Kharge on Monday evening at the latter’s residence after Shivakumar cancelled his visit to Delhi on Monday citing health issues.
Both Shivakumar and former chief minister Siddaramaiah are staking a claim on the top post and their supporters have been indulging in hectic lobbying.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader G Parameshwara also threw his hat in the ring saying he is ready to take up the responsibility if the party high command asks him to run the government.
The former state Congress president said, the high command is aware of his service to the party and he doesn’t feel the need to lobby for the post.
“If the high command decides and asks me to run the government, I’m ready to take up the responsibility,” the former deputy chief minister told reporters in Bengaluru.
“I have faith in the party high command. I have certain principles. I can also take about 50 legislators and do the shouting, but for me the discipline of the party is important…. if the high command gives me the responsibility, I will take it up. I have not said I won’t,” he said.
“They (high command) too are aware that I have worked for the party, served it for eight years (as KPCC President) and brought it to power (in 2013)…. I feel there is no need for me to ask for the post or lobby for it, and I’m quiet. That doesn’t mean I’m incapable, I’m capable and if given an opportunity will do the job,” he added.
The newly-elected MLAs in Karnataka had on Sunday passed a one-line resolution authorising party chief Kharge to appoint the legislature party leader, who will be the new chief minister.
Kharge earlier held discussions with party leaders from Karnataka and the three observers appointed by him to oversee the Congress Legislature Party meeting held in Bengaluru on Sunday.
The three central observers – Sushil Kumar Shinde, Jitendra Singh and Deepak Babaria – had met all Congress MLAs individually and sought their views on who would be their choice of chief minister.
They also held a ‘secret ballot’ on their choice for chief minister. The observers discussed the findings of their report and handed it over to Kharge on Monday night.
In the just-concluded Assembly elections, the Congress scored an emphatic victory with 135 seats while the ruling BJP and the former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) secured 66 and 19 seats, respectively.
