Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar has told party president Mallikarjun Kharge that it is his turn to get the chief ministership and if he is denied, he would prefer to continue as an MLA, India Today reported on Tuesday. Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah are the two contenders for the chief ministership in Karnataka. Both leaders today met party president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi.
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During his meeting with Kharge, Shivakumar expressed his desire to become the next chief minister to Kharge, saying that he helped the party rebuild in the state after their government collapsed in 2019, sources told India Today.
Shivakumar, who took over as state party chief in July 2020, told the Congress chief that Siddaramaiah had already been given a chance to become the chief minister and now it was his turn, sources said. He also said that if he is denied the CM chair, he would prefer working only as an MLA in the party.
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The KPCC chief also told Kharge that Siddaramaiah's tenure as chief minister was a "misrule" and that the Lingayats, a prominent community in Karnataka, were against the former CM. Siddaramaiah headed the government from 2013 to 2018.
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Shivakumar arrived in Delhi this morning from Bengaluru. He reached Kharge's residence a little after 5 pm and held deliberations over the post of chief minister of Karnataka. He left after a 30-minute meeting and did not speak to the media.
Soon after Shivakumar left, Siddaramaiah arrived at Kharge's residence after 6 pm, and the two leaders held discussions on the top post. Supporters of Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar are indulging in intense lobbying in support of their leaders.
Earlier in the day, another contender emerged for the chief ministership of Karnataka. Senior Congress leader G Parameshwara said he was ready to take the job if the high command wanted. "If the Congress high command gives me the responsibility of the CM post, I will definitely fulfill it," he said, adding that the central leadership knows everything about him and his work. "I don't want to lobby." Parameshwara has served as deputy chief minister during the coalition government of Congress-JDS.
(With inputs from Sagay Raj and Nagarjun Dwarakanath)