Party workers gather outside Siddaramaiah's house in his support

As the race for the next Karnataka chief minister heats up, all eyes are on the Congress' top leadership here on their pick for the top post in the southern state. After the Congress party staged a stupendous victory in the May 10 assembly polls, intense lobbying for the chief minister's post in Karnataka started between former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC president D K Shivakumar. The three central observers deputed by the Congress on Monday returned to the national capital after speaking individually to the newly elected MLAs. The observers will hand over the report on the views expressed by all the newly elected MLAs to party president Mallikarjun Kharge soon. Kharge is likely to take a decision on who will be the next chief minister of Karnataka soon. He is also likely to hold consultations with top Congress leadership, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.