Siddaramaiah Elected as CLP Leader, Sidhu Meets Governor with DK Shivakumar”
In the latest developments of Karnataka Congress politics, the Congress MLAs have elected Siddaramaiah as the leader of the CLP (Congress Legislative Party). Following his election, Siddaramaiah, accompanied by DK Shivakumar, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Chief, met with Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot. They expressed their confidence in having an absolute majority to form the government and requested an opportunity to do so. Siddaramaiah is set to take oath as the Chief Minister of Karnataka on May 20, with preparations underway at Kanthirava Stadium. Invitations have been extended to prominent leaders such as Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, and others to attend the event.
The selection of the Chief Minister had been a matter of great excitement and speculation since the results of the Karnataka Assembly elections were announced on May 13. With DK Shivakumar and former CM Siddaramaiah emerging as strong contenders, the Congress leadership had to intervene to resolve the impasse. Separate meetings were held with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leader Rahul Gandhi, and party general secretary KC Venugopal, where Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah presented their aspirations for the CM post. After extensive discussions, it was decided that Siddaramaiah would become the Chief Minister, with Shivakumar accepting the role of Deputy Chief Minister.
While Shivakumar had initially expressed his desire for the CM position, he eventually agreed to the Deputy CM role following discussions with former Congress President Sonia Gandhi. The Congress party recognized Siddaramaiah’s mass appeal and the majority support he enjoys among Karnataka CLP MLAs, making him the preferred choice for the chief ministerial role. The intervention of Sonia Gandhi played a crucial role in resolving the deadlock, leading to Shivakumar accepting the Deputy CM position.
The swearing-in ceremony for the new Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister is scheduled to take place in Bengaluru on May 20.
