Karnataka government formation Live: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah will be the next chief minister of Karnataka and DK Shivakumar his deputy, reported PTI, quoting Congress sources. KPCC president DK Shivakumar will likely be the Deputy Chief Minister, the sources said. The party arrived at a consensus on government formation in the state following hectic parleys. The swearing-in ceremony will likely be held in Bengaluru on May 20. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge along with other stakeholders held parleys past midnight to hammer out a solution between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar — the two chief ministerial aspirants. On Thursday evening, a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting has been called by Shivakumar, the party’s state unit chief, in Bengaluru, where the decision will likely be announced. Shivakumar has written to all legislators, asking them to attend the meeting of newly-elected MLAs, MLCs and MPs at the Indira Gandhi Bhavan on Queen’s Road at 7 pm.
In the May 10 elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly, the Congress scored an emphatic victory by bagging 135 seats while the ruling BJP and the former prime minister HD Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) secured 66 and 19 seats, respectively.
live updates
Karnataka CM live Updates: After the Congress’ thumping win, the party is yet to name the CM of the state. Whether Siddaramaiah or DK Shivakumar will lead the state, it is yet to be officially announced.
Hectic parleys were held on Wednesday to break the deadlock in deciding on the Congress’ chief ministerial pick in Karnataka with both the hopefuls presenting their cases before the top brass even as the party asserted that an outcome is likely within a day or two.