Karnataka CM choice: Ball in Kharge’s court

Who will become the chief minister of Karnataka? The million-dollar question has remained unanswered so far as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) gave the power to decide the CM to party president Mallikarjun Kharge.

While the first meeting of the CLP was taking place in Bengaluru on Sunday, supporters of both Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar and former CM Siddaramaiah- the frontrunners for the CM post- were raising slogans in support of their leaders.

However, the CLP, at least for now, avoided the catch-22 situation where it had to pick one leader over the other and authorised Kharge to take the call.

Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah are the two faces of the Karnataka Congress who led their party to an astounding victory. Kharge has now the mountainous task to reward the leaders but it appears to be a no-win scenario.

In a one-line resolution, the Congress Legislature Party in Karnataka authorised Kharge to make the decision on the CLP leader who would become the CM.

Before the CLP meeting, AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal and the central observers held a meeting with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.

After the meet, Congress Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala posted a picture on Twitter with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar and wrote “Congress is united”.

Top Vokkaliga seers have thrown their weights behind Shivakumar and said Congress should make him the CM. They said they will not keep quiet if their self-respect is hurt.

Leaders of the Lingayat community have taken a “neutral” stand in the Karnataka CM tussle. As many as 38 out of 51 Lingayat candidates fielded by Congress have won elections.

Siddaramaiah held a meeting with Congress MLAs in Bengaluru ahead of the CLP meeting in Bengaluru on Sunday, according to CNN-News18 sources.

Congress appointed three central observers, including senior leader Sushil Kumar Shinde in Karnataka. Besides Shinde, a former chief minister of Maharashtra, the other observers are party general secretary Jitendra Singh and former AICC general secretary Deepak Babaria.

DK Shivakumar clarified that he has no “differences” with Siddaramaiah, stating that he has sacrificed for the party and cooperated with the former CM.

Mallikarjun Kharge held a conversation over the phone with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi regarding the formation of the Karnataka government, sources said.

Kharge said the AICC observers will convey the opinion of the party’s MLAs to the high command which will then take a final decision.