NEW DELHI: Ending four days of deliberations, the Congress has zeroed in on Siddaramaiah as Karnataka CM with controversial DK Shivakumar, state party president as his Deputy, said people in the know.
The decision came following the inconclusive meeting Congress top brass had on Wednesday with Shivakumar. Sources reveal that the former was given two options both of which he declined.
The oath ceremony will be held in Bengaluru on May 20th. A party has also been scheduled in Bengaluru on Thursday evening.
Earlier on Wednesday, Shivakumar held several meetings with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi and state unit in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala and party general secretary K.C. Venugopal. After the meetings, Shivakumar, the state Congress president, was closeted with his MLAs and leaders close to him at his brother and Lok Sabha D K Suresh’s residence.
The two options offered to Shivakumar included a Deputy post along with party president charge and six ministries of his choice. The second proposal offered the party president power-sharing with Siddaramaiah- in which the former would head the govt for two years followed by Mr Shivakumar for three years, in the present tenure. Shivakumar however has been insisting on the top post citing his work over the past four years.
The Congress in the latest assembly polls won 135 seats out of 224. One of the key reasons behind the Congress party’s spectacular performance in the Karnataka Assembly elections is its significant gains in the rural and backward districts across the state, where its rivals, the BJP and JD(S), lost considerable ground.