Karnataka Assembly elections 2023: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah is set to be the next Karnataka chief minister, and his swearing-in ceremony is likely to take place on Thursday. A report in India Today said that he is likely to take oath alone.
D K Shivakumar, another contender for the top post, has been offered the deputy chief ministerial post along with crucial cabinet ministries in the new government, according to sources. A meeting of all the 135 Congress MLAs is expected to be held on Thursday.
Both the leaders are in Delhi and have met senior Congress leaders. On Wednesday, Siddaramaiah met Rahul Gandhi once more. Later, Shivakumar too visited Gandhi at his current residence 10, Janpath.
The crucial decision comes four days after the Congress won 135 of the 224 seats in a close contest between Congress, BJP and JD (S) ahead of the general elections next year. The BJP was a distant second with 66 seats, while the JD(S), which had hoped to play the kingmaker in a hung assembly situation, was down with just 19 seats.
Meanwhile, state Congress working president Eshwar Khandare and other party MLAs have arrived at party president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence in Delhi ahead of their meeting scheduled on Thursday.
While senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah is seen to be a mass leader, who completed a full term in 2018, Shivakumar is known for his strong organisational capabilities and has been instrumental in the party's new phase. He is considered Congress' troubleshooter during tough times.
Meanwhile, Congress leader G Parameshwara said on Tuesday that he was ready to take up the responsibility if the party high command asks him to run the government. He also said that the party high command is aware of his service to the party. "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.
Also read: DK Shivakumar or Siddaramaiah? Who will be Karnataka's new CM as Congress wins big?