New Delhi: Karnataka Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar on Tuesday met party president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence here separately and discussed the modalities of government formation in the southern state. Shivakumar, who arrived in the national capital this morning from Bengaluru, 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 at 10, Rajaji Marg after 6 pm, and the two leaders held discussions on the top post. Both Shivakumar and former chief minister Siddaramaiah have staked their claim for the top post after the party staged a stunning victory in the Karnataka Assembly polls by winning 135 out of 224 seats.
Supporters of both leaders are indulging in hectic lobbying in support of their leaders. The newly-elected MLAs in Karnataka have already passed a one-line resolution authorising party chief Kharge to appoint the legislature party leader, who will be the new chief minister. Kharge had earlier appointed three central observers for the meeting of the Congress legislature party in Bengaluru and they have already submitted their report to him and discussed the same.
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The observers had met all Congress MLAs individually and sought their views on who would be their choice of chief minister. They also held a secret ballot which was compiled and the results were conveyed to the party chief. Kharge earlier in the day also held discussion with former party chief Rahul Gandhi, who drove down to his residence.
Before leaving for Delhi, Shivakumar spoke to the media and asserted that God and mother always know what to give their children. "Congress party is like a mother to me. God and mother always know what to give to children. I am going to the temple to meet my god. I am going alone. The General Secretary has asked me to come alone. So I am going to Delhi alone," Shivakumar said. He will be meeting with Rahul Gandhi who had already reached Kharge's residence. Shivakumar will also be meeting former party chief Sonia Gandhi.
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The stalemate over choosing the new Karnataka CM escalated after Shivakumar announced that he was not visiting Delhi on Monday despite the invitation he had received from the party high command. Shivakumar who cancelled his visit, hours after confirming he would be flying to Delhi, fuelled speculation that there were factions at play in Karnataka Congress. Shivakumar downplayed his decision citing health reasons for aborting the Delhi trip.
The three observers deputed to Karnataka by the Congress - Sushilkumar Shinde, Jitendra Singh and Deepak Babaria - along with Karnataka AICC in-charge Randeep Surjewala and AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka and general secretary organisation K C Venugopal, met Kharge and held discussions on the views expressed by the MLAs on Monday.
"The observers have submitted the report to the Congress president. We will hold consultations with all senior state leaders, including Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, and after that a decision will be taken by the Congress president," Surjewala said.
Decision on appointment of CM in a day or two, says Pawan Khera
A decision on the appointment of the Chief Minister of Karnataka will be known in a day or two, AICC spokesperson Pawan Khera said on Tuesday. Khera told reporters here that the views of the newly-elected MLAs have been elicited and the central leadership is seized of the matter. Noting that the post of Leader of Opposition is equally important in every state, he sought to know when the BJP will appoint the LoP in Karnataka.
"Appointing a Chief Minister is not an easy thing. It cannot be imposed from Delhi... Everybody's view has to be taken into consideration. We have to engage with every stakeholder and then decide who the chief minister will be," he said. "The process is on. The observers have already gone there. Met the MLAs. The MLAs have given their opinions. Now, the opinions have gone, all the record has gone to the central leadership. So, in a day or two you will know the answer," Khera said.
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