Cong’s newly elected MLAs authorise Kharge to pick new Karnataka CM

The Congress legislative party (CLP) on Sunday passed a single-line resolution, authorising the AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge to choose the next leader of the legislative party.

“The Congress Legislature Party unanimously resolves that AICC President is hereby authorised to appoint the new Leader of the Congress Legislature Party”, the one-line resolution read after the CLP meeting.

Congress leader Randeep Surjewala announced that the party observers will take opinion from each MLA tonight and give the report to the AICC president.

“Siddaramaiah, moved the single-line resolution authorising AICC president to appoint a new leader of CLP party and 135 Cong MLAs proceeded to unanimously approve his resolution. It was endorsed by DK Shivakumar also… Cong general secretary KC Venugopal informed Kharge about the resolutions”, Surjewala said.

“Kharge then instructed KC Venugopal that the 3 senior observers must take individual opinions of each legislature and convey them to the high command”, Surjewala added.

Earlier in the day, Kharge had told reporters,” CLP meeting will be held today and will hand over the report to the high command after which the high command will take its time to declare the name of the CM”.

Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, the claimants to the CM’s post along with Congress observers Sushil Kumar Shinde, Jitendra Singh and Deepak Babaria were also present.

Ahead of the CLP meeting, the AICC observers had held a separate meeting with both Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah inside the hotel. The race for the CM’s post has heated up with both the contenders enjoying a considerable clout within the party.

Outside the hotel where the meeting is being held, the supporters of both Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah raised slogans for their leaders in the run-up to the huddle. Earlier in the day, a poster war had erupted between the supporters with each pushing for their leader to be chosen as the CM.

On Saturday, the Congress registered a decisive victory in Karnataka, removing the BJP from the lone southern state it had governed for the past four years. The grand old party won 135 seats while the saffron party bagged 65.