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“I invite you to take oath as Chief Minister of Karnataka and invite DK Shivakumar to take oath as Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka along with team members. The oath ceremony will take place on May 20, 2023 at 12.30 pm at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
Ending days of suspense, the Congress central leadership on Thursday announced that Siddaramaiah will be the chief minister, while state party chief DK Shivakumar will be his sole deputy in the soon-to-be-formed cabinet.
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, who were in a tough race for the top post, will take oath tomorrow at 12.30 pm along with a group of nominated ministers.
Hectic talks to help break the deadlock over the top post in Karnataka continued on Monday and went on till the early hours of Thursday as both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar presented their cases before top officials.
The leadership issue in Karnataka remained as Shivakumar dug his heels in and insisted that he be made the chief minister as the party registered a landslide victory in the southern state under his chairmanship.
Sources said that while Rahul Gandhi had asked both the leaders to sit together and work out a solution with Kharge, it was the party chief who urged the two to hold talks with Venugopal and Surjewala to sort out the differences and have Siddaramaiah as chief minister. was asked to agree. Whose leadership ability and public support helped him to achieve the top position.
Sources said the decision was taken early Thursday after all parties agreed to accommodate confidantes of the two leaders and asked Shivakumar to continue as the state Congress chief till next year’s parliamentary elections.
To retain the number two position in the Karnataka government, Shivakumar was made the sole Deputy Chief Minister.
However, the announcement of the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister may solve the headache of power-sharing for the Congress. According to sources, there will be around 15 ministers who will take oath of office along with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.
“But ensuring balance of power and representation of all castes and communities may not be easy. Rahul Gandhi had told Kharge that Muslims, SC/STs and women, who vote for the party in large numbers, should be represented.
The problem is that leaders G Parameshwara and MB Patil, who have been openly disgruntled after losing the race for the top post, will be hoping for hefty portfolios in their kitty. Shivakumar, meanwhile, will also expect key ministries under him to retain his position of the second-highest leader in the Karnataka government.
In the May 10 elections to the 224-member assembly, the Congress won 135 seats, while the ruling BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular), led by former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, secured 66 and 19 seats, respectively.