Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar in Delhi to discuss modalities of Govt-formation with Kharge
   Date :17-May-2023

Kharge D K Shivakumar
 
 
NEW DELHI :
 
KARNATAKA Congress President D K Shivakumar on Tuesday met party chief Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence here and discussed the modalities of Government-formation in southern State. Shivakumar, who arrived here on Tuesday morning from Bengaluru, reached Kharge’s residence a little after 5 pm and held deliberations over the post of Chief Minister of Karnataka. He left after a 30-minute meeting and did not speak to the media. Soon after Shivakumar left, Siddaramaiah arrived at Kharge’s residence at 10, Rajaji Marg after 6 pm, and the two leaders held discussions on the top post. Shivakumar along with former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah are frontrunners for the top post after the party staged a stunning victory in the Karnataka Assembly elections by winning 135 out of 224 seats. Both the leaders have staked claim on the Chief Minister’s post and are indulging in hectic lobbying. The newly-elected MLAs in Karnataka have already passed a one-line resolution authorising party chief Kharge to appoint the legislature party leader, who will be the new Chief Minister. Earlier, Shivakumar said, ‘the party is his mother’ and there was no question of his resigning from the organisation.
 
The Karnataka Congress chief Shivakumar later told reporters that he has come to Delhi to meet senior party leaders and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge. “My mother is my party, We have built this party. No question,” he said when asked to comment on reports that he may resign from the party if not given the Chief Minister’s post. “If any channel is reporting that I am resigning from the post, I will file a defamation case against them...Some of them are reporting that I will resign and all, all bull****. Nothing,” he said. On whether he will also meet Rahul Gandhi, the Karnataka leader said, “I have to meet all leaders. First, I have to meet my Congress President.” “My high command is there, my party is there, our MLAs are there - 135,” Shivakumar said as he left the residence of his brother and Bengaluru Rural MP D K Suresh. Suresh also said that since the party has won under his (Shivakumar’s) leadership as Pradesh Congress chief, he had the right to stake his claim on the top post. Suresh had met Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday evening at the latter’s residence, after Shivakumar cancelled his visit citing health issues. Shivakumar arrived in the national capital on Tuesday morning.