Siddaramaiah to take oath as Karnataka CM on May 20; Shivakumar to be his deputy

After days of speculation over who will be the next Karnataka Chief Minister, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has put his stamp on the name of veteran party leader Siddaramaiah to become the next chief minister of Karnataka. Meanwhile DK Shivakumar, who was also in the race for the next CM, has been chosen to be his deputy.

The oath-taking ceremony will be held in Bengaluru on May 20.

Kharge reportedly worked till late night Wednesday to break the political deadlock over the next CM in Karnataka and arrived at a consensus for government formation.

The party has called a Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting in Bengaluru on Thursday at about 7 pm. Central Observers from the All India Congress Committee (AICC) have been asked to reach Bengaluru to conduct the CLP meeting, as per ANI.

Both Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar were locked in the battle for the chief ministerial post after Congress's massive victory in the state Assembly election held on May 10.

The Congress won a decisive mandate in the Karnataka Assembly election, winning 135 of the 224 seats, ousting the BJP from power. The BJP was a distant second with 66 seats and the JD(S), which had hoped to play the kingmaker, was down with just 19 seats.  

"My life is dedicated to serving the people of Karnataka. On the eve of my birthday, the people of Karnataka gave me the best birthday gift possible. Thanks to my Congress family for their warm greetings," Shivakumar had said after the party's win.