Two days after Congress swept to victory with a clear majority in 135 out of 224 Assembly constituencies, the “who will be the Chief Minister” question still remains unanswered as a power struggle among party men continues at high intensity.
So far, the obvious and the top two contenders for the position have been ex-CM Siddaramaiah and KPCC president D.K Shivakumar. Sources close to the development have told businessline , out of the two leaders, Siddaramaiah has the upper hand with a significant chunk of the party legislators lobbying his case.
Currently, Siddaramaiah is in New Delhi to meet with the top party leaders after, he and DK Shivakumar were summoned to the party office to take a final call. However, Shivakumar who also happens to be celebrating his 62nd birthday has canceled his visit citing health issues. The party high command, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, however, are currently in Shimla.
Party divided
The party is still divided on the choice of the All India Congress Committee(AICC) President, who was authorized to pick the CM post-CLP meeting on Sunday and is believed to be in favour of DK Shivakumar being appointed as the Chief Minister, according to sources.
While the tussle between two top contenders continues, other party legislators to are trying to be in the running for the post. Sources indicated that MLA M B Patil is pushing for himself to be the Chief Minister citing that the party should have a Lingayat CM face given that the party has 37 winning Lingayat legislators, this time.
As the scenario heats up, the party only has a short time to take a pick and make an official announcement. It has indicated that the new CM is likely to be sworn in on May 18th. Hence, it is to be watched out for, how the power struggle unfolds.