Congress Legislature Party (CLP), which met at a private hotel in Bengaluru on Sunday evening, passed a unanimous resolution authorising All India Congress Committee (AICC) President M Mallikarjun Kharge to pick its leader, who will be the next chief minister of Karnataka.
LP meeting was attended by AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal and three central observers. Before the meeting, Venugopal and the central observers held a meeting with Leader of Opposition in the outgoing Assembly Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D K Shivakumar the two front-runners for the chief minister’s post.
After the CLP meeting, Randeep Surjewala, AICC in-charge for Karnataka, said, MLAs will meet the central observers after dinner tonight and their decision will be conveyed to the party president for taking a decision to appoint a new CLP leader. Venugopal said, This process of taking the opinion of all MLAs will be completed tonight itself. Sources said the observers will be handing over their report upon consulting all MLAs to Kharge by Monday.
After the results were declared on Saturday, Congress president Kharge deputed former Maharashtra chief minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, AICC general secretary Jitendra Singh and former AICC general secretary Deepak Babaria as observers for the election of the CLP leader in Karnataka. The legislature party passed another resolution, moved by Shivakumar, promising to implement the five promises made to the people of Karnataka.
The resolution stated, It is no coincidence that the Congress campaign in its true earnestness began way back in September-October 2022 during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, when Rahul Gandhi walked nearly 600 kilometres for a period of 21 days through the length and breadth of Karnataka, which immensely energised the cadre to take on the malgovernance, corruption and maladministration of the ruling BJP government. The Congress Legislature Party resolves to work determinedly and unitedly to give a responsible, accountable, transparent government to our brothers and sisters of Karnataka. Serving the 6.5 crore Kannadigas will be our sole motto and guiding light, the resolution read.
Banners have come up in front of Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar’s residences here, erected by supporters, congratulating them for Congress’ win and projecting them as the next CM. While the 60-year-old Shivakumar is considered to be a troubleshooter for the Congress, Siddaramaiah has a pan-Karnataka appeal.
If Siddaramaiah, who joined Congress after being expelled from JD(S), gets elected as the CLP leader, this would be his second stint as the Chief Minister from the party after having occupied the top post for five years between 2013-18. Shivakumar had served as Minister in Siddaramaiah’s cabinet.