NEW DELHI: The decision on the selection of the Karntaka chief minister is proving a hard nut to crack as Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge delayed the decision and he may announce the name only on Wednesday in Bengaluru after consulting Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi here Tuesday night.
Kharge is hinting to the contenders that he wants a Dalit as a deputy CM. Party sources said the Congress President has to be also careful in the poaching game that the BJP may play to frustrate the Congress forming the government. In that scenario, he will prefer Shivakumar, who is capable of failing the BJP’s dirty tricks in which Siddaramaiah is too soft to handle it, the sources said.
On Tuesday held one-on-one meetings with top contenders Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah at his Delhi residence on Today on modalities of the government formation in Karnataka.
The Congress party is holding marathon meetings since Monday to zero in on the next Karnataka Chief Minister. With two senior leaders putting their claims forward for the top post, the Congress is looking to find a way out that is acceptable to both the leaders – Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar and former CM Siddaramaiah. While Siddaramaiah had reached Delhi on Monday, Shivakumar landed in the national capital on Tuesday after cancelling his Monday fligh citing illness.
Shivakumar reached Kharge’s residence after 5 pm and held deliberations over the post of chief minister of Karnataka. He left after a 30-minute meeting and did not speak to the media.
Following his meeting with Shivakumar, Kharge also held a meeting with Siddaramaiah to take his views. While many reports have claimed that Congress wants to go with Siddaramaiah as the CM and DK Shivakumar as his deputy, a formal announcement has not been made yet. As the suspense continues on the Karnataka CM face, Shivakumar is said to be firm on his demand for the CM post despite the decision being left to the Congress high command, pointing out how he put his neck out while other seniors are hesitating.
On Tuesday, former Deputy Chief Minister and senior Congress leader G Parmeshwara also expressed his interest in taking up the responsibility.
“I trusted the party leaders. I can form a group of 50 MLAs. But I don’t do that. I have some principles. Discipline is important to me. If the high command gives me the responsibility of CM. I will definitely do it. Also, I have served as the Deputy Chief Minister. The High Command knows everything about me and my work, so I don’t want to lobby,” Parmeshwara said.
According to AICC spokesperson Pawan Khera, a decision on the appointment of the Chief Minister of Karnataka will be taken by tomorrow. Khera told reporters here that the views of the newly-elected MLAs have been elicited and the central leadership is seized of the matter.
