On Saturday, former Congress Leader and former Chief Minister DK Shivakumar was formally elected as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) and is set to become the next Chief Minister of Karnataka. It was decided during a critical CLP meeting in Bengaluru attended by high-ranking Congress leaders and legislators.
The decision follows a fresh change in leadership after the Congress party’s overwhelming win in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly polls led to Siddaramaiah’s resignation as chief minister. The resignation of Siddaramaiah is believed to be part of a long-planned power-sharing deal in the party.
Political circles had been speculating about the understanding between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for over two years, which would ensure the division of leadership of the government during its tenure. The switch seems to have happened now, with the support of the Congress high command.
Senior Congress leaders KC Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala presided over the CLP meeting. Party legislators supported the name of Siddaramaiah for the party leader and when Shivakumar’s name was put forward for the seat, he did so himself during the meeting.
Shivakumar met with Venugopal and Surjewala in Bengaluru for the last discussions on transitioning prior to the meeting. The choice of his name is something remarkable in Karnataka politics as he is about to take up the top executive position in the state, after having been one of the influential leaders of the Congress party in the state for years.
A swearing-in ceremony is likely to be held on June 3 to usher in a new phase in the Congress government in Karnataka.