The Karnataka Congress Legislature Party’s (CLP) meeting on Sunday, preceded by intense lobbying, unanimously passed a one-line resolution authorising the president of the All India Congress Committee Mallikarjun Kharge to appoint the new CLP leader, who will become Chief Minister of the State.
This comes amidst intense competition between former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D.K. Shivakumar to become the next CM of the State. During the campaign, the two leaders had put up a united front, saying that both of them were aspirants for chief ministership, but that the elected MLAs and the party high command would take the final call.
In results announced on Saturday, the Congress won 135 seats, the highest tally for any party in Karnataka’s Assembly polls since 1989, reducing the BJP to 66 seats and the Janata Dal (Secular) to 19 seats.
