There is no difference in the party, says KPCC president DK Shivkumar
New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Sunday that the chief ministerial candidate would be declared after getting a report from the three-member team set up by the central leadership of the party.
After getting a massive mandate in the Karnataka assembly election, the Congress has appointed a three-member team to elect the new chief minister of the state.
The team comprises former chief minister of Maharashtra Sushil Kumar Shinde, party general secretary Jitendra Singh and former AICC general secretary Deepak Babaria. There has been a hectic lobbying for the top job.
According to AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, the team will oversee the meeting of the Congress Legislature Party that elects the leader of the House.
Venugopal said the party president had deputed Shinde, Singh and Babaria as observers for the election of the CLP leader.
Leader of Opposition in the outgoing assembly Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress president D K Shivkumar are strong claimants for the top job.
Seventy-five-year-old Siddaramaiah and 60-year-old Shivkumar held meetings with the legislators loyal to them. There was a poster war ahead of the meeting.
After the victory of the party, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh tweeted: Not able to come to terms with the resoundingly decisive verdict in favour of Congress from all sections of society in Karnataka, the BJP’s online hate factory is working overtime to manufacture lies. No doubt inspired by the PM’s politics of hare & polarisation. Desperation of sick minds.”
In the may 10 elections to the 224-member assembly, the Congress won 136 seats, the BJP 65, Janata Dal (Secular) 19.
Since there are two strong claimants for the post of chief minister, it will be difficult for the CLP to elect the man for the top job in the state.
