Bengaluru, 30 May

Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar is all set to take oath as the state's next Chief Minister on 3 June, following his election as the CLP leader here on Saturday.

At the Congress Legislature Party meeting, outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah proposed Shivakumar's name as the next CLP leader and the proposal was seconded by senior leader G Parameshwara, following which the 64-year-old Vokkaliga strongman was elected unanimously.

"Humbled to be unanimously elected as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party at the CLP meeting held in Vidhana Soudha today. We remain committed to serving the people of the state with dedication, integrity and purpose," Shivakumar posted on 'X'.

Soon after his election, Shivakumar met Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot at Lok Bhavan and staked his claim to form a government in the state. The Governor invited him to take the oath as the state's Chief Minister along with his cabinet colleagues on 3 June at the Lok Bhavan premises.

Siddaramaiah and other senior state leaders accompanied Shivakumar to the Governor. The swearing-in will take place at 4:05 pm on 3 June. Shivakumar served as the Deputy Chief Minister in the Siddaramaiah government.

Siddaramaiah resigned as Chief Minister on Thursday, two days after Congress top leadership asked him to step down. Governor Gehlot accepted his resignation the next day and dissolved the Council of Ministers.

This resignation of Siddaramaiah had brought the long-drawn power tussle between him and Shivakumar to an end. There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, who is also the party state president, for the coveted chief minister's post after Congress won the May 2023 Assembly election. The party then managed to convince Shivakumar and made him the deputy CM.

Reports at the time suggested a compromise based on a "rotational chief minister formula," under which Shivakumar would become CM after two-and-a-half years, but there was no official confirmation from the party or the two leaders. The CLP meeting at Vidhan Soudha here was overseen by AICC general secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala.

A Karnataka Congress statement said that Siddaramaiahproposed Shivakumar's name for the top position, Parameshwara seconded the proposal, and the meeting unanimously endorsed it. Party general secretary (Organisation) Venugopal announced Shivakumar's election as the new CLP leader.

The statement said that at the beginning of the meeting, Surjewala announced that the process of electing the new CLP leader would proceed based on a proposal from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and formally initiated the proceedings. Subsequently, Siddaramaiah moved a one-line resolution stating that the issue of selecting the new leader had been left to the AICC's discretion. Parameshwara seconded the resolution, and all the legislators supported it by raising their hands, it said.

Surjewala then announced a 10-minute break, and he, along with Siddaramaiah and Venugopal, proceeded to the Chief Minister’s chamber. After that, the three leaders returned to the conference hall, where the legislators had assembled, and the process of electing the new leader was completed.

Subsequently, the newly elected CLP leader, Shivakumar, moved a resolution praising the services rendered by outgoing leader Siddaramaiah during his tenure as Chief Minister and sought the meeting's support, the statement said, adding that the resolution was unanimously approved.

Clarifying the 10-minute break, Venugopal later told reporters, "Initially, the meeting unanimously authorised the Congress high command to propose a leader for the CLP. After that, we discussed the matter with the Congress high command. The high command suggested Shivakumar's name as the leader."

Venugopal said under the guidance of AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, a smooth transition of power took place in Karnataka. He further said, "under the leadership of Shivakumar, the Congress will return to power again with the support of Siddaramaiah in the 2028 assembly election in Karnataka."

Meanwhile, lobbying has intensified among ministerial aspirants before the Congress high command. While some ministers from the dissolved Council of Ministers are trying to secure their positions in the new cabinet, legislators hoping for a cabinet berth this time have also reached the national capital.

According to sources, there are indications that the new cabinet will have a mix of both old and new members. Efforts will be made to strike a balance by ensuring representation while keeping caste equations, regions, and Siddaramaiah loyalists in mind. Speculation is rife that there will be more than one deputy chief minister.

Siddaramaiah's son and MLC Yathindra accompanying his father to meet the Congress high command in Delhi on Friday has also led to speculations about his induction into the cabinet. Talks are also ongoing regarding the new state Congress President, a post currently held by Shivakumar. Senior MLA and former Minister Satish Jarkiholi is said to be the frontrunner for the post.

In his letter to the Governor staking his claim, Shivakumar stated that the CLP, Karnataka, consisting of 135 members of the Indian National Congress, 2 associated members and 1 Raita Sangha MLA, had unanimously elected him as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party.