Central observers, Siddaramaiah head to Delhi today, series of meetings expected

BENGALURU: A day after the Congress legislature party (CLP) meeting, the central observers are heading to New Delhi where there will be a series of meetings along with party president Mallikarjun Kharge.

The leaders will also meet Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and it is expected that separate meetings will be held with KPCC president D K Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, who are the top contenders for the chief minister’s post.

Party sources said the votes polled at the CLP will be opened only in the presence of Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi. While some of the newly elected MLAs have given their consent orally, many have cast their secret ballot while a few others have left the decision to the high command.

Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramiah is also scheduled to be in the national capital Delhi on Monday as the Congress engages in the process of picking the next chief minister after the party’s emphatic win in the State. Siddaramaiah and the central leaders are expected to land in Delhi by 3.30-4 pm, according to party sources.

Meanwhile, D K Shivakumar, who is celebrating his birthday on Tuesday said that he has done his duty and now it was up to the party high command to take a call. He too is expected to leave for Delhi, but he said he had not been called so far.

Congress state president D K Shivakumar said he was not sure if he will go the Delhi today.

“We have passed a one-line resolution. We will leave it to the party high command. I have not yet decided on going to Delhi as I have some religious rituals to perform. I have done whatever job I have to do”, Shivakumar, told reporters after he met Congress-appointed observers at Shangri-La Hotel in Bengaluru today. The KPCC chief also met with party general secretary Sushil Kumar Shinde and other leaders in Bengaluru.

Bhanwar Jitendra Singh, AICC observer in Bengaluru, speaking on the decision on the State chief minister said, “We have taken the views from all the MLAs, the meeting went on till 2 am. We have prepared a report and will submit it to the Congress president”.

Along with Singh, former Maharashtra chief minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and former General Secretary Deepak Bawaria were appointed observers in Karnataka by the AICC.

Congress leader B K Hariprasad said that a secret ballot was conducted and a single-line resolution was passed on the chief ministerial post. “They (observers) also spoke to each MLA and took their opinion both verbally and in writing. The decision has been sent to Delhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge will take a decision after talking to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi”, he said.