Congress veteran Siddaramaiah likely to be next Karnataka CM: Report

Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah is likely to be the next chief minister of Karnataka, a report said on Monday. The majority of MLAs want Siddaramaiah as the chief minister, according to News 18. However, the Congress is yet to formally announce its chief minister for Karnataka. Earlier today, Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said the party observers will submit their report to party chief Mallikarjun Khadge tonight.  

Also read: 'Take it from Congress': Karnataka villagers refuse to pay power bill, BJP IT head warns of 'chaos' amid CM tussle
 

Jitendra Singh, one of the observers, said they had taken the views from all the MLAs. "The meeting went on till 2 am. We have prepared a report and will submit it to the Congress president." The Congress on Sunday appointed three observers - Sushil Kumar Shinde, Jitendra Singh, and Deepak Babaria -  ahead of its legislature party meeting to elect the new chief minister.

Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar have been engaged in a hectic lobby to secure the chief ministership of Karnataka. Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain today said both of them - Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar - were senior Congress leaders. "Both led this fight from the front, both did their best to strengthen the party...but only can become the Karnataka CM, let's see what is the opinion of the members of CLP."

India Today on Monday reported that Siddaramaiah had presented a proposal to become the chief minister for the first two years and DK Shivakumar for the rest of the tenure. He said since he is ageing, he wants to get the first half of the Congress government up and running at least till next year's Lok Sabha elections.

However, DK Shivakumar is believed to have rejected the proposal and cited the cases in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Siddaramaiah is currently in Delhi while Shivakumar was also scheduled to travel to the national capital but he cancelled the visit citing 'stomach infection'.  

The Congress on Saturday made a stunning comeback in Karnataka, ousting the BJP from its lone bastion in southern India. The grand old party bagged 135 seats, while the ruling BJP managed to bag just 66.

Shivakumar on Sunday hinted that he was in the chief ministerial race saying he took everyone along and never sought anything for himself. He also rejected speculations that there were differences between him and Siddaramaiah. Shivakumar, considered close to the Gandhi family, was made Congress Karnataka chief in July 2020.    

Shivakumar today said when Siddaramaiah and Dinesh Gundu Rao had resigned from their respective posts after the party's debacle in 2019 by-elections, then Congress national president Sonia Gandhi had reposed faith in him and made him president. He also recalled that when he was in jail in a money laundering case, Gandhi had visited him to show her support. "I had not done anything wrong for myself. Whatever I did was for the party. All my sufferings were for the party," he said.