Bengaluru, May 15 (). After a massive mandate in the Karnataka Assembly elections, the Congress is in the process of finalizing it after senior party leaders Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar openly staked claims for the chief minister’s post.
AICC sources told that Siddaramaiah has made a suggestion that he is willing to share the chief minister’s post with Shivakumar.
However, according to sources, Siddaramaiah wants a first term. He will hand over the post to Shivakumar for the remainder of the term after the first two years.
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar belong to the Kurba and Vokkaliga communities respectively. The Congress high command is trying to accommodate both.
The Congress high command is likely to finalize the decision on Monday itself and Siddaramaiah is likely to become the Chief Minister for the first term.
Party sources told that Shivakumar would also agree to this arrangement, but he has clearly conveyed to the party high command that he should be made the sole deputy chief minister with the portfolio of home ministry.
According to a senior Karnataka Congress leader, around 70 per cent of the elected legislators have supported Siddaramaiah as chief minister.
The final decision will be announced by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge after consultation with AICC observers Sushil Kumar Shinde, former Maharashtra chief minister, Jitendra Singh and Deepak Babaria.
AICC President Kharge along with Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi as well as AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal and AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka are holding discussions with Randeep Singh Surjewala.
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