New Delhi: Ending the days long suspense over the next Karnataka Chief Minister, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday chose Siddaramaiah to lead the sothern state. Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar will be the deputy CM, news agency ANI reported. The oath ceremony will be held in Bengaluru on 20th May, ANI reported. The grand old party has also called a Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting called in Bengaluru at 7pm today. Supporters of Siddaramaiah were seen pouring milk on his poster, bursting firecrackers and raising slogans in his support outside his residence in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

Earlier on Wednesday, Shivakumar held several meetings with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi and state unit in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala and party general secretary K.C. Venugopal. Speaking to media after arriving at Venugopal`s residence, the Kanakapura MLA Shivakumar said, “There is nothing to tell. We have left it to the high command. High command will take the call. I`m going for rest.”

Siddaramaiah to be the next chief minister of Karnataka and DK Shivakumar to take oath as deputy chief minister. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge arrived at a consensus for Karnataka government formation. The oath ceremony will be held in Bengaluru on 20th May. pic.twitter.com/CJ4K7hWsKM
— ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2023

He made the remarks after he was questioned by the media over several meetings with top Congress leaders. Before Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah also met Venugopal on Wednesday evening. Siddaramaiah, too, had met Rahul Gandhi earlier on Wednesday at his residence here.

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The Congress, which registered a thumping victory in Karnataka on Saturday, had held a CLP meeting on Sunday evening in Bengaluru. They had submitted the report of the CLP meeting and voting through secret ballot to Kharge on Monday afternoon.

The results of assembly polls were declared on Saturday and the newly-elected Congress MLAs on Sunday authorised Kharge to take a decision. With the action shifting to Delhi, both Siddaramaiah, a former Chief Minister of Karnataka, and Shivakumar reached Delhi. The Congress won 135 seats in the recently held election to the 224-member Karnataka assembly.