New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visits the reidence of party president Mallikarjun Kharge, in New Delhi, Tuesday, May 16, 2023. (PTI Photo)
Gandhi drove to Kharge’s residence and held a closed-door meeting with the Congress chief. Congress General Secretary Randeep Surjewala, who is in charge of the party’s affairs in Karnataka, was also present at the meeting
As Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge is holding parlays of meetings to decide the next chief minister of Karnataka, former party chief Rahul Gandhi reached his residence in Delhi on Tuesday to ensure “no further political drama” over the government formation in the southern state.
Sources privy to the development told CNN News18 that Rahul Gandhi does not want the political disagreements regarding the CM post in Karnataka to drag on any further and therefore, wants a decision as soon as possible.
Gandhi drove to Kharge’s residence and held a closed-door meeting with the Congress chief. Congress General Secretary Randeep Surjewala, who is in charge of the party’s affairs in Karnataka, was also present at the meeting.
Sources further said Congress chief Kharge will meet Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar- two top contenders for the CM post- separately today.
“Then there will be a joint meeting, following which there will be an internal meeting of high command to decide on the Chief Ministerial candidate. The announcement may be delayed till tomorrow,” they added.
Earlier on Sunday, Kharge held discussions with party leaders from Karnataka and the three observers appointed by him to oversee the Congress Legislature Party meeting in Bengaluru.
Both Siddaramaiah and state Congress president D K Shivakumar are front runners for the chief minister’s post and both are lobbying for it.
While former chief minister Siddaramaiah is in Delhi, Shivakumar cancelled his visit to the national capital on Monday evening citing health issues, fuelling speculations that all is not well in the party.
Shivakumar arrived in the national capital Tuesday afternoon. After arriving at Delhi airport, he did not speak to the media and walked away with folded hands parrying a barrage of questions from reporters.
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar will hold discussions over government formation in Karnataka.
In just-concluded Assembly elections, the Congress scored an emphatic victory with 135 seats while the ruling BJP and the former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) secured 66 and 19 seats, respectively.
(With PTI Inputs)