Siddaramaiah to be next Karnataka CM, DKS his deputy

New Delhi: Ending days of uncertainty over Karnataka’s next Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah will get another term at the top post in the state, while Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief D K Shivakumar will be his deputy.

The Congress high command finally took the decision following marathon parleys that extended well into the night on Wednesday, four days after the party achieved a morale-boosting victory in the assembly election, winning 135 out of the total 224 seats.

The oath-taking ceremony will be held on Saturday evening. The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting scheduled for 7 pm on Thursday will officially announce Siddaramaiah, who enjoys the support of a majority of the newly elected legislators and is also said to be the high command’s choice, as the leader.

Both Siddaramaiah, the former chief minister, and DKS staked claim to the top job and openly declared their desires. The high command delayed taking a decision as it didn’t want to annoy DKS, who was the strategist behind the victory, and instead wanted to take him on board.

The allocation of the portfolios will be carried out in the coming days after arriving at a consensus between both sides through discussion, sources said.

The Congress arrived at the decision after four days of intense parleys after the high command interfered and made pacifying moves between Siddaramaiah and DKS and the factions supporting them. Party President Mallikarjun Kharge is expected to officially announce the decision on Thursday.