Karnataka Election Results LIVE: Kharge Dials Gandhis Over Govt Formation amid Siddaramaiah vs Shivakumar CM Race; BJP Mulls LS Strategy

Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury spoke about Opposition unity in the aftermath of the party’s Karnataka assembly election victory. “We are saying from the beginning that if the Opposition is united then BJP can’t remain in power. After the Karnataka polls, a wave has started across the country and people are saying that the days of PM Modi and BJP are coming to an end. If the Opposition will not unite now then the people of the country will not forgive us.”

Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar clarified that he has no “differences” with Siddaramaiah, stating that he has sacrificed for the party and cooperated with the former CM. “Some people say that I have differences with Siddaramaiah but I want to clear that there is no difference between us. Many times I have sacrificed for the party and stood with Siddaramaiah ji. I have given cooperation to Siddaramaiah,” he said.

Outgoing chief minister Basavaraj Bommai has accepted anti-incumbency as one of the reasons behind the BJP’s defeat in the state. He stated that along with several other factors, anti-incumbency played a major role in the saffron party’s defeat in Karnataka. He also clarified that it “cannot be considered as a defeat for Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he is not limited to Karnataka and had only come for campaigning.” “The leadership of Congress has failed in the whole nation, they won in this state but have lost in the whole nation,” he said adding winning only one state cannot be considered a victory for them at the national level. “Anti-incumbency in certain constituencies is also a reason, hence we have decided to analyse these constituencies,” he said.

Congress MLAs including Lakshman Savadi, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Ishwar Khandre, Asif Sait, Raju Kage and others land at Bengaluru airport ahead of the CLP meeting.

Congress MLAs including Lakshman Savadi, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Ishwar Khandre, Asif Sait, Raju Kage and others land at Bengaluru airport ahead of the CLP meeting.

The Congress President has appointed former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Sushilkumar Shinde, AICC General Secretary Jitendra Singh and former AICC General Secretary Deepak Babaria, as observers for the election of the CLP Leader in Karnataka, stated by KC Venugopal, General Secretary in-charge of Organization for Congress.

The Vokkaliga community is rallying behind DK Shivakumar as a potential Chief Minister candidate, according to latest News18 reports. In an effort to push the Congress party towards this decision, a meeting of several Vokkaliga seers, including Adichunchungiri Swami Ji, and members of the Vokkaliga Sangha is scheduled to take place this afternoon.

Outgoing CM Basavaraj Bommai, has denied that BJP fought the elections on the Hindutva plank. Speaking to reporters a day after defeat to Congress in the Karnataka elections after raking up the Bajrang Dal ban issue, he said, “We never fought on the Hindutva first of all, It’s in some people’s mind. we fought on our double engine government and development.” According to him, it was the Congress manifesto that tried to polarize the society.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had a conversation over phone with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi regarding the formation of the Karnataka government, sources said.

Latha Mallikarjun, an independent candidate who emerged victorious from the Harapanahalli constituency, visited the Bengaluru residence of Congress leader Siddaramaiah.

Outgoing Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, “We had an informal meeting with our president and we have discussed certain issues, and we’ll shortly call elected representatives and the people who contested. We will have an in-depth analysis and take corrective measures to come back to power in the Lok Sabha elections.”

Congress leader Priyank Kharge, speaking to ANI, clarified that the meeting between AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge and Siddaramaiah was a courtesy call and not a political one. He added that the final decision on the CM candidate will be taken at the CLP meeting.

Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao has stated that the party is currently working on deciding the CM candidate for Karnataka and that a decision will be made soon. All MLAs are returning from their constituencies, and the decision is expected to be taken soon. He also mentioned that there has been no decision taken by the central leadership on the CM candidate. The usual process involves the CLP meeting and passing a one-line resolution authorizing the high command to take a call. One-on-one meetings with MLAs are conducted, and if there is no clarity, a secret ballot can be taken. The decision is announced and the CM is declared, with the central leadership kept in the loop. Congress President Kharge is not expected to attend the CLP meeting. He and his team are likely to return to Delhi this evening.

Congress leader RV Deshpande said that the decision on the Chief Minister of Karnataka will be made in a day or two. He added that the CLP meeting held today will provide clarity on the matter. Additionally, Deshpande stated that the high command will decide on whether there will be one Deputy CM or two Deputy CMs.

Speaking to reporters on the Karnataka Chief Minister post, Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad stated, “At the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting today, we will be asked for our opinion on the Chief Ministerial post. The voters have elected their MLAs, and we will find out the choice for CM today. While we are not sure about the high command’s decision, if our opinion is sought, we will provide it. Otherwise, we are prepared to accept and follow the party’s decision.”

Apart from Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, there are other prominent Congress leaders eyeing the Chief Ministerial post in Karnataka, Among them are G Parameshwara, a Dalit leader and former Deputy Chief Minister and ex KPCC President, K H Muniyappa, a veteran leader and seven-time MP also from the Dalit community, and M B Patil, a Lingayat leader.

Siddaramaiah, a senior leader with a successful track record as Chief Minister, is known for his administrative skills and financial acumen, having presented 13 budgets for the state. His mass appeal and influence among the AHINDA coalition (minorities, backward classes, and Dalits) make him a strong contender for the CM post. At his 75th birthday celebration last year, his supporters projected him as the next CM. Siddaramaiah, who has announced that this will be his last election, has emphasized that the Chief Minister will be elected by the newly elected MLAs in consultation with the party high command.

Congress leader DK Shivakumar has been vocal about his desire to become the Chief Minister of Karnataka, particularly at events targeted towards the Vokkaliga community, to which he belongs. He urged the community not to miss the opportunity with him as the KPCC president and drew attention to the fact that S.M. Krishna was the last Vokkaliga to lead the party in the polls and then become the CM in 1999. The Congress has seen a significant improvement in its electoral performance in the Vokkaliga dominated Old Mysuru region (south Karnataka) in this election, largely credited to Shivakumar. It is noteworthy that in the past, whoever has successfully led as KPCC President in the election has been the natural choice for CM, such as Krishna and Veerendra Patil.

In battle for chief minister post between Leader of Opposition in the outgoing Assembly Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President D K Shivakumar, the views of newly elected legislators will be taken into consideration, and they may be asked to vote for the election of their leader based on the outcome.

Senior leader DK Shivakumar, known as a “troubleshooter” for the Congress party, is competing against Siddaramaiah, who has a pan-Karnataka appeal, for the Chief Minister post. If Siddaramaiah, who joined Congress after being expelled from JD(S), is elected as the CLP leader, it will be his second stint as the Chief Minister after holding the position for five years from 2013-18. Shivakumar had previously served as a Minister in Siddaramaiah’s cabinet.