Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar during a press conference after the declaration of the results of the Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023, in Bengaluru on May 13, 2023. Photo credits: K. Murali Kumar
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has appointed former Maharashtra chief minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, party general secretary Jitendra Singh and senior leader Deepak Babaria as observers for the Congress Legislature Party elections in Karnataka, general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said on May 14.
meeting of Exercise of newly elected Congress MLAs underway in Karnataka Discussing government formation with leaders who know their views on the Chief Ministerial candidate.
giving a clear indication of change, The voters of Karnataka defeated the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party and gave a clear mandate to the Congress with 135 seats in the 224-member Legislative Assembly.
With both Leader of the Opposition and former chief minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president DK Shivakumar making public appearances ahead of the election, the acid test for the Congress will be to select a chief minister.
Congress will discuss the next step
Party sources said a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) has been called to discuss the next step in government formation.
During the meeting, the leaders are also expected to seek the views of the newly elected MLAs on the chief ministerial candidate, an important question the party has to grapple with.
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Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Assembly Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Mr. Shivakumar are strong contenders and frontrunners for the coveted post.
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Both Mr Shivakumar, an eight-time MLA, and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah have made no secret of their ambition to become CM and have been involved in political one-upmanship games in the past.
According to party sources, the opinion of the newly elected MLAs will be taken and depending on the outcome, they may be asked to vote to elect their leader if needed.
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Mr. Shivakumar has been openly expressing his aspirations to become Chief Minister at various events, especially those related to the Vokkaligas. He asked the dominant community to which he belongs not to miss an opportunity with him as the KPCC president, while SM Krishna was the last Vokkaliga to lead the party in elections and then became the CM. in 1999.
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In fact this election, the Congress has significantly improved its electoral performance in the Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysore region (South Karnataka) and the credit goes largely to Mr. Shivakumar.
Also, there have been instances in the party that whoever has successfully led the election as KPCC president has been a natural choice to become chief minister, such as in the case of Krishna and Virendra Patil.
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Mr. Siddaramaiah, who has seniority, is known for able administrative skills, and has the experience of running a successful tenure as Chief Minister. He also has the distinction of presenting 13 budgets for the state.
Being a mass leader, he enjoys considerable influence among Ahinda (Kannada abbreviation for Minorities, Backward Classes and Dalits). Mr Siddaramaiah’s 75th birthday celebrations held last year in Davanagere were largely seen as an attempt by him and his loyalists to project him as a future chief minister.
(With PTI inputs)