NEW DELHI:
Siddaramaiah will be the next Chief Minister of Karnataka and DK Shivakumar his deputy, the Congress announced on May 18, ending five days of suspense after the party’s emphatic election win. The decision was announced after days of internal wrangling by Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala at a news conference.
Mr Shivakumar had accepted the deputy CM position following an intervention by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The veteran leader had agreed to make the “sacrifice in the interest of the party”. Mr Siddaramaiah and Mr Shivakumar met Congress general secretary KC Venugopal on May 18 morning. This was the first meeting between the two leaders since the tussle for the top post began. The two leaders then went to meet Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge.
