- DKS is sole Deputy CM
- Power-sharing formula of 2.5 years each; Siddu to move to national politics later
Bengaluru: Ending days of speculation and negotiations, the Congress this morning chose Siddharamaiah as the 24th Chief Minister of Karnataka and KPCC President D.K. Shivakumar (DKS) as his lone deputy.
The oath-taking ceremony will take place on May 20 at Sri Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. The Congress will also elect its new CLP leader this evening. The meeting of newly-elected MLAs, MLCs and MPs is scheduled to be held at the Indira Gandhi Bhavan on Queen’s Road at 7 pm. Earlier on Wednesday, Siddharamaiah and Shivakumar, both contenders for the top job, held separate meetings with party leader Rahul Gandhi and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge. AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal formally announced in New Delhi this noon that Siddharamaiah will be the next CM and Shivakumar will be his solo deputy.
Venugopal said that Shivakumar will continue as the KPCC President till the next Lok Sabha elections. A group of Ministers will also be sworn-in along with Siddharamaiah and Shivakumar, he added.
“We believe in consensus and not in dictatorship and that’s why the party had been holding meetings to decide on the next Karnataka CM. Both Siddharamaiah and Shivakumar are assets to the party and the power-sharing formula is to share the power with the people of Karnataka,” he said.
A backward class leader with over five decades of political experience, 75-year-old Siddharamaiah is considered one of the three remaining mass leaders of Karnataka — alongside former Prime Minister 91-year-old H.D. Deve Gowda of the JD(S) and former CM 80-year-old B.S. Yediyurappa of the BJP.
Deal finalised at 2.30 am
Though Venugopal did not mention the power-sharing formula, inside sources told Star of Mysore that the deal between Shivakumar, Siddharamaiah and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge was clinched after night-long talks and finally former Congress Presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi addressed the leaders through video conferencing at 2.30 am.
Sonia Gandhi reportedly told Shivakumar that the party and the family would stand by him in any eventuality.
Shivakumar relented after he was told that he will be the lone Deputy CM with the influential Energy and Water Resources portfolios. In addition, the High Command has conceded to his demand that the majority of Cabinet Ministers would be his ‘loyalists’.
Power-sharing formula
As per the power-sharing formula, Siddharamaiah will be the CM for the first 2.5 years and he will move to the National politics later, facilitating Shivakumar to be the CM for the next 2.5 years. Sources said that at the CLP meeting this evening, Siddharamaiah will make an announcement that he will be the CM only for 2.5 years with the remaining term taken over by Shivakumar.
Earlier, both the leaders were opposed to the power-sharing formula as the Congress had made a similar promise in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh but has not implemented it, leading to discontentment. Shivakumar had stuck to this line of argument but relented later after the High Command asked Siddharamaiah to officially announce the 2.5-year formula at the CLP meeting.
Depends on LS poll outcome
Sources said the veteran leader had agreed to make the ‘sacrifice in the interest of the party’. The power sharing arrangement, it is learnt, now hinges on the Karnataka Congress’ performance in the LS election next year. Both Shivakumar and Siddharamaiah have been asked by the High Command to work in unison for the Lok Sabha elections to ensure the victory of Congress candidates.
Meanwhile, arrangements were afoot at Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru where the swearing-in ceremony will take place. Security has been stepped up near the residence of CM-designate Siddharamaiah in Bengaluru and around the Stadium where the ceremony will be held.
The deal reports say is Siddaramaiah becomes the CM for the first 30 months, then leaves handing over to Shivakumart to be CM for the rest of the period.
Seems at best a grubby deasl.
With money laundering cases against Shvakumar,it was hypocrisy for the Congress to fight the election blaming 40% commsiion government of Bommai. It is very evident why Congress with this mind set of ignoring corruption in their owm ranks, but pointing corruption at the BJP. This will be the reason that Congress will never regain power at the centre and Rahul Gandhi will nver become the PM.
As a lawyer, Siddaramaiah must be hping that the long arm mof the law will catch Shivvakumar in the form of the CBI director Praveen Sood, briniging new evidence to put this scoundrel away in the jail for a few years.
DKS is stupid and acting liking a owner of this victory when most MLAs favor Siddu. Nobody likes DKS and when he becomes CM(if), he will have tough time from the Siddu supporters. Siddu might be laughing behind the curtain..
Also Siddu will ensure DKS will be visited by ED/CBI very often by making deal with BJP.
It is better for DKS to lie low until his time come and let Siddu handle things otherwise he will suffer, his property will be seized, his name will be tainted forever and will also lose Vokkaligas support.
While this Tamasha of picking the CM is taking place, the newsparers reprt that Narendra Modi is off to Japan to “participate” un the meeting of the rich G7 countries.
the truth is India is invited as an observer and so is Australia. India is not in the G7 group, neither is ?China much richere than India, as to qualify for the G& status, the individual incomes much be high. With the value of the waste paper called ?Rupees, India can never achieve it. Hence, Modi will be sitting at a distance and observing without contributing to the proceedings.
His country, India is a caste-ridden cesspit. While Lingayats behave as wolves, Vokkaligas behave as hyanas. Both crowds are arch villains and corrupt scoundrels.
As for Dalits, they want to stay for ever as Dalits and backward, as it gives them benefits of all sorts. Muslims in their millions in India, are the second largest Muslim community, after Indonesia, but still claim as minorities!
T?his is the scandalous state of Indias. CIorrupt politics, corrupt institutions and very corrupt society. Really, a third world dump.
Vokkaligas are like hyanas and Lingayats are like wolves-both sub-grade animals.
look at Vokkaliga SM Krishna, who was a CM and who promted only Vokkaliga in his political leadership and amassed wealth. Just look also, at Vokkaliga Deve Gowda, and even in his short tenure vof PM, he brought in dozens of Vokkaligas from Karnatak and placed in top positions, including a Vokkaliga who was made the head of AICTE, the engineering education quality control organisation. This person studied in West Indies-a third world country known for producing cricketers and not academics!
As for /lingayats, we can start from the Toad Nijalingappa, who got crores by approving the set up of the heavy industries like the HMT, at the outskirts of Bangalore, which destroyed the once beutiful city and from then pn to the present day Yeddy, who gave away almost free land to Murty to build his so callred traing centre in Mysore to train IT Techie coolies, so that he can use them to run his IT sweatshop Infosys. /he made so much monety that he sent his children to get educated in the USA, byb paying enormous sums to universities there, bought them luxury aprtments, bought a son in law with hefty dowry, and got him a very safe ?Conservative party seat in England to become a Mp, who in turn used his dowry money to bribe Engklisgh MPs so that he can become the M. He is staring a massive defeat in 2024 elections in the UK, having lost heavily in the local council elections held recently in England.
Vokkaligas and Lingayats, the ever lasting skirmishes and ever lastingf corruption which many use them for their business benefits.
Siddu and DK can’t go back on promises now. Rahul has confirmed it
https://www.deccanherald.com/election/karnataka/congresss-five-guarantees-to-become-law-after-cabinet-meet-today-rahul-gandhi-1220411.html