Who will be the next Karnataka CM? The possibilities explained

Who will be the next Karnataka chief minister? Two days after Congress’ big win over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state Assembly election, the uncertainty remains. Veteran leaders DK Shivakumar and K Siddaramaiah, who were crucial for Cogress’ success in the state, are both gunning for the top job. And now a tug of war has begun.

Speculation is rife. There have been talks of a shared CM term, supporters of both contenders are doing all they can to rally support, and the BJP is already attacking the winning party over its indecision.

We take a look at what’s going on, who will take the final call over the CM’s post and what could be the likely outcome.

Kharge to take the final decision

MLAs from the party met Congress’ team of observers – party general secretaries Sushil Kumar Shinde, Deepak Babaria and Jitendra Singh Alwar and – voted for their choice of CM, according to a report by NDTV. The observers are heading to Delhi to meet senior leadership Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra and party president M Mallikarjun Kharge.

After a meeting of Karnataka MLAs at a Bengaluru hotel on Sunday evening, the party asked its national chief to take the final call. The Congress Legislature Party passed a unanimous decision authorising Kharge to pick the next chief minister of Karnataka.

“We have taken the views from all the MLAs, the meeting went on till 2 am. We have prepared a report and will submit it to the Congress president,” said Singh, one of the party observers in Bengaluru.

#WATCH | Karnataka: We have taken the views from all the MLAs, the meeting went on till 2am. We have prepared a report and will submit it to the Congress president: Bhanwar Jitendra Singh, AICC observer in Bengaluru, on the decision on the state chief minister#Karnataka pic.twitter.com/nwrHFWsTd3

— ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2023

According to a report in India Today, Siddaramaiah is expected to be in the national capital, while Shivakumar is waiting in Bengaluru, leaving the decision to the party high command.

“Still haven’t decided whether to go or not,” Shivakumar told the media when asked if he would be going to Delhi.

Our coverage of the Karnataka Assembly Election Results:

Karnataka Results: Why Lingayats, a traditional BJP vote bank, picked Congress

Sunil Kanugolu, poll strategist ‘as elusive as Bagheera’ who scripted Congress’ win

Voters pick Cong over BJP: Why this is no surprise

Karnataka Assembly Election Results 2023: Big winners and losers

DK Shivakumar or Siddaramaiah? Who will be Congress’ CM pick?

From kingmaker to distant third: How JD(S) suffered a big setback in Karnataka Assembly election

Walk to Victory: How Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra paved way for Congress win in Karnataka

Why ‘Jai Bajrangbali’ has become Congress’ victory cry in Karnataka

King Cong in Karnataka! Dhols and dancing as party celebrates win

The possible outcomes

As a decision on the CM’s post is awaited, comparisons are being drawn between Rajasthan and Karnataka. In the desert state, the tussle between CM Ashok Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot has left the Congress party red-faced.

There have been talks of shared chief minister’s post in Karnataka. Both both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar could be the CM for 2.5 years each, thus ensuring neither is slighted and gets rewarded for their efforts. But there is also reluctance over what has unfolded in other states in the past over similar arrangements.

Kharge had said on Saturday after the election victory, “People have decided that they have had enough of turning to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will look at the people of Karnataka. We will form the government under the leadership of Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar. We have a lot of responsibility now. It is on them as well.” Dubbing it a “victory for everyone”, he added, “No one can say they did it on their own.”

According to sources in the party, Siddaramaiah was at first unwilling to share the post but later gave in. However, the former CM wants the first term; he would demit office after the first two years with Shivakumar to follow in the rest of the term, reports News18. He wants to be in control until the 2024 elections.

However, Shivakumar has reportedly refused the power-sharing formula, citing the chaos in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

The other option ahead of Congress is to make Siddaramaiah the chief minister, as he has announced this would be his last election. Shivakumar, who had made his ambition clear, would then have to settle for the deputy CM’s post.

This could make the Karnataka party chief unhappy. One way to convince him would be to promise the top job in the next tenure and offer him plum ministries which he had sought earlier like water resources and energy.

While Siddaramaiah is a deserving candidate and is favoured by many in the party for the CM’s post, Shivakumar has played a key role in the party’s win. He has commandeered party workers in the state, garnered support to the last booth, and has been reliable in times of political crisis in Rajasthan and Maharashtra, booking resorts for the party and more. He is considered a troubleshooter for the party.

But it is the 75-year-old Siddaramaiah who has a mass appeal and is said to have secured Congress 18 per cent of the votes in the state. He reportedly enjoys the support of a majority of Karnataka MLAs including the influential Lingayat community. Shivakumar is a Vokkaliga and has that community's backing. But there are only 21 Vokkaliga MLAs. The remaining 114 are likely to side with Siddaramaiah.

“Siddaramaiah is truly a mass leader and he has been the only CM who has completed a full term in office after Devraj Urs. If he is named the CM now for a full five-time term, he will break records in the history of Karnataka to be the only CM to have had two full terms with a full majority in place. He is extremely popular as a CM, an excellent administrator, and his schemes have been the most impactful,” a senior leader close to Siddaramaiah told News18.

If caste and numbers are kept in mind, it is Siddaramaiah who appears to be in a stronger position than his counterpart.

The tug of war

Shivakumar has worked hard to build the organisation and remained loyal to the party after his arrest in the money-laundering case. He has said time and again that he has made several sacrifices for the party.

Now today is his birthday and he is waiting for a present. “We have passed the Resolution for High Command to decide the CM… I don’t know what gift the high command will give on my birthday but the people of Karnataka have given us the numbers,” said Shivakumar.

Team Shivakumar and Team Siddaramaiah are doing all they can to drum up support for their leaders. Both their supporters were shouting slogans outside the Bengaluru hotel where MLAs met on Sunday. Earlier in the day, posters were plastered across the state capital with each side demanding that their man be picked for the top job.

Supporters of Siddaramaiah put up a poster outside his residence in Bengaluru, referring to him as “the next CM of Karnataka”.

The BJP attack

As Congress faces the dilemma, the BJP has slammed the winning party over the dilly-dallying.

Congress is on its way to make another Rajasthan out of Karnataka

We can see the signs already

Just like they broke every promise to Rajasthan ( kisan karz maafi) & fought for post not promise they will defraud Karnataka too

This Congress govt will be the most corrupt, most… pic.twitter.com/IY1NGRhw5L

— Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) May 14, 2023

Congress is on its way to make another Rajasthan out of Karnataka. We can see the signs already. Just like they broke every promise to Rajasthan (kisan karz maafi) & fought for post not promise they will defraud Karnataka too,” Shehzad Poonawalla, the national spokesperson of BJP, wrote on Twitter.

With inputs from agencies

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.