Siddaramaiah Karnataka’s next CM; Shivakumar his only deputy: Congress

Both leaders to take oath on May 20

PTI, 18 May, 2023, New Delhi/Bengaluru: The Congress on Thursday named Siddaramaiah as the next chief minister of Karnataka and state PCC chief D K Shivakumar, a strong contender for the top post, as his only deputy, ending the tense deadlock after prolonged parleys involving its central leadership.

Siddaramaiah met Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to stake claim to form the government shortly after the nine-time MLA was formally elected the leader of the Congress Legislature Party(CLP) in Karnataka at a meeting of the newly elected party MLAs at Indira Gandhi Bhavan in Bengaluru on Thursday night.

He will become the chief minister for the second time after his earlier five-year stint from 2013.

Siddaramaiah, 75, and Shivakumar, 61, will take oath of office on May 20, according to party General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal, even as Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge invited leaders of several like-minded parties for the swearing-in ceremony in Bengaluru. The event may turn out to be a show of strength for opposition parties amid unity efforts to take on the ruling BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Senior party leader and in-charge for Karnataka Randeep Surjewala said Shivakumar moved a resolution to elect Siddaramaiah as the new CLP leader. All the members of the CLP endorsed the resolution unanimously, he added.

After four days of intense wrangling for the top post, a solution was hammered out at a fresh round of discussions in Delhi that went on till the early hours of Thursday.

Announcing the decision taken by Kharge, Venugopal said all leaders, including the top leadership, worked very hard to make the Karnataka victory a reality.

"We have decided on Siddaramaiah as the chief minister of Karnataka. D K Shivakumar will be the only Deputy CM," he told reporters, as the two leaders, who were frontrunners for the CM's post, presented their cases vigorously before the top brass after the Congress' stunning comeback to oust BJP from its lone southern citadel on May 13.

Shivakumar will also continue as the party's Karnataka state president till Parliamentary elections are over, he added. The next Lok Sabha elections are due in the first half of next year.

Venugopal said the swearing-in ceremony will be held on May 20 at 12.30 PM.

Several top Congress leaders from Kharge to former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were involved in the hectic parleys with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. A CLP meeting on Sunday had authorised Kharge to choose the next chief minister.

The leadership issue in Karnataka lingered as Shivakumar dug in his heels and made a strong and emotional pitch that he should get the top job since the spectacular Congress victory came under his presidency. The Congress won 135 of the 224 seats at stake in the May 10 Assembly elections--the highest number for the party after 35 years.

Asked why he relented after a spirited fight for the top post, Shivakumar said, "In the larger interest of the party, I have agreed."

"We are committed to the people of Karnataka and we have to deliver. That is our responsibility," the eight-time MLA told TV channels.

Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga known for his proximity to the Gandhi family and considered a master strategist and a "trouble shooter" of the Congress, said he is not upset and that he has a long way to go. He said he will concentrate on strengthening the party for the Lok Sabha elections and deliver the promises made to people.

Siddaramaiah said the Congress party will work as a family to deliver a pro-people, transparent, corruption-free governance and fulfill all our guarantees.

"Our hands will always be united to protect the interests of Kannadigas," he said in a tweet with a picture of Kharge raising his and Shivakumar's hand in a show of unity.

Tweeting the same picture, Shivakumar said, "Karnataka's secure future and our people's welfare is our top priority, and we are united in guaranteeing that."

The two state leaders, who were in Delhi for parleys with the top party leadership, left for Bengaluru in the afternoon and are expected to return to the capital on Friday for discussions with party leadership on the composition of the new Cabinet.

The first challenge that Siddaramaiah is expected to face is putting in place a Cabinet with the right combinations that will strike a balance in having representatives from all communities, regions, factions, and also from among old and new generation of legislators.

With the sanctioned strength of the Karnataka cabinet being 34, there are too many aspirants for ministerial berths.

According to party sources, with all major communities largely backing the party in the elections, there will naturally be aspirations from every one.

Hours after the party announcement, another senior Congress leader G Parameshwara cautioned the party's central leadership that if a deputy chief minister post is not given to a Dalit, there would be an adverse reaction and it would spell trouble for the party. The 71-year-old Parameshwara, a Dalit, was a deputy chief minister in the Congress-JD(S) coalition government led by H D Kumaraswamy.

Surjewala said the Congress party is committed to fulfil the five promises that were made during the elections and action would be taken on them in the first meeting of the cabinet.

Asked about the much-talked-about power-sharing formula between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, Venugopal said the only power-sharing formula is to share the power with the people of Karnataka.

"Ours is a democratic party, we believe in consensus and not in dictatorship."

Venugopal said that for the last two-three days, the party was trying to bring about a consensus, and described both the leaders as "dynamic".

He said Siddaramaiah is a senior-most politician and an able administrator who contributed a lot in this elections, adding Shivakumar had electrified the poll campaign and the two leaders were a "very good combination".

"Both are big assets of the Congress party," he said, adding both were justified in their wish and desire to be the chief minister.

Kharge has invited Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav. Invitations have also been sent to National Conference(NC) chief Farooq Abdullah.

Nitish Kumar will attend the swearing-in of the Congress government in Karnataka, JD(U) spokesperson Rajib Ranjan said.

Kharge also sent an invitation to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and the JMM leader is likely to attend the ceremony.

Siddaramaiah, a Kuruba -- the third largest caste in Karnataka -- has positioned himself as a backward classes leader by spearheading the AHINDA (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits) combination.

Siddaramiah's supporters broke into celebrations in Bengaluru and at his native village in Mysuru district.

The residents of Siddaramanahundi, the native village of Siddaramaiah were, in fact, jubilant since Wednesday following reports that their leader would become the chief minister again. They burst crackers, raised slogans hailing Siddaramaiah and distributed sweets. 

Surjewala said both the leaders are capable of being chief minister and the Congress would provide a "transparent, honest and stable government" that would serve as a role model. 

"This victory is the joint victory of the Congress organisation. Every worker showed that the Congress can fight this battle together and win," he said. 

"The real crown of Congress victory is of 6.5crore Kannadigas. It is a victory of every Kannadiga, of the democracy and the values of this Constitution and is a loss for those who want to quell democratic traditions under a bulldozer," Surjewala said.