Watch: Decision on next Karnataka CM in few days, says Priyank Kharge

Bengaluru: Karnataka Congress MLA Priyank Kharge sought the media to cut some slack as it was just 24 hours since the elections when asked how long it would take to name the next Chief Minister of Karnataka, who will have to be elected by the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) as per the norms. 

Kharge who emerged from the CLP meeting late on Sunday night said that the decision would be arrived at in a couple of days after evaluating all the options. The CLP, which met at a private hotel in Bengaluru on Sunday evening, passed a unanimous resolution authorising All India Congress Committee (AICC) President M Mallikarjun Kharge to pick its leader, who will be the next CM of Karnataka.

The CLP meeting was attended by AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal and three central observers. The observers then sought individual opinion from all MLAs, that will now be communicated to the top brass in Delhi, Priyank Kharge said. 

Before the meeting, Venugopal and the central observers held a meeting with Leader of Opposition in the outgoing Assembly Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D K Shivakumar -- the two front-runners for the CM's post. With the ball now in party chief Mallikarjun Kharge's court, lobbying for the top post is set to shift to Delhi with both the contenders expected to arrive in the national capital on Monday to meet Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and the AICC chief. (with PTI inputs)