In the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the appointment of the chief minister in Karnataka, the state Congress president, D K Shivakumar, who is one of the two contenders for the post, is set to arrive in Delhi on Tuesday. This visit comes ahead of an eagerly awaited announcement by the party.
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, also considered a frontrunner for the CM position, had already reached New Delhi on Monday evening.
In an unexpected turn of events, Shivakumar remained in Bengaluru yesterday due to a stomach infection. Both leaders were summoned to Delhi by the Congress party's top leadership for a crucial discussion.
The Congress party obtained a decisive victory in the Karnataka Assembly polls, securing 135 seats out of the 224-member assembly.
Yesterday, the party's central observers for Karnataka provided a detailed briefing to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge about the opinions of the newly elected MLAs. According to reports, Kharge will consult with Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra before making a final decision.
"We will announce the name of the next Karnataka CM within the next 24 hours," announced party representatives.
It is worth noting that the Congress legislative party convened on Sunday in Bengaluru and passed a one-line resolution granting Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge the authority to select the head of the legislative party.
On Monday, Shivakumar expressed that all the MLAs are united, and the decision regarding the chief minister will be made by the party's high command.
"The party's high command will make the decision. I don't want to comment further. I have already expressed my views. MLAs' support is not important to me. We are a united Congress bloc with 135 members and one ally. We will work together," stated Shivakumar.
Siddaramaiah, who previously served as the chief minister of Karnataka from 2013 to 2018, held discussions with the top leadership of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) late on Monday night at Delhi's Lodhi Hotel.
However, Siddaramaiah chose to remain tight-lipped about the meeting and refrained from interacting with reporters.
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