Karnataka Congress President D K Shivakumar To Be In Delhi
In the midst of heavy campaigning for the position of the chief minister, Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar will visit Delhi on Tuesday to discuss the subject of government formation in the state with the party’s central leadership.
The Congress’ national leadership summoned him and Siddaramaiah, both frontrunners for the post of chief minister, to Delhi for talks. However, Shivakumar postponed his journey to the national capital on Monday evening, citing health concerns, fueling speculation that all is not well in the party.
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Siddaramaiah is in Delhi since Monday.
The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President will fly to Delhi from Kempegowda International Airport here at 9:50 a.m., according to a statement from his office.
The three central observers of the Congress, who spoke with freshly elected party MLAs on their choice for chief minister, informed party head Mallikarjun Kharge on their findings on Monday and filed their report.
The Congress Legislative Party, which met on Sunday at a hotel in Bengaluru, voted a unanimous resolution authorising Kharge to choose Karnataka’s next chief minister.
As the Congress swept to victory with 135 seats in the 224-member Karnataka Assembly elections on May 10, Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah are involved in a power struggle over who will lead the government.
Amid discussion regarding the number of MLAs behind him and Siddaramaiah for the job, Shivakumar stated on Monday that his strength is 135, as the party won 135 seats under his leadership.
The Congress won an emphatic victory with 135 seats in the recently ended Assembly elections, while the incumbent BJP and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular) earned 66 and 19 seats, respectively.
