Siddaramaiah gets MLA backing, Shivakumar pins hopes on Sonia Gandhi

Bengaluru, May 16 (IANS) As the race for the next Karnataka Chief Minister intensifies, sources in the Congress party confirmed that majority of MLAs have expressed their willingness for senior leader Siddaramaiah to take up the top post.

According to the sources, Siddaramaiah has the backing of more than 80 MLAs.

The party high command, which had clarified from the beginning of making the candiddate who had the support of MLAs as the Chief Minister, is now in a difficult position as Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar is also vouching for the post.

Shivakumar, who was supposed to meet Sonia Gandhi on Monday, had canceled his meeting citing ill health.

He will reach Delhi on Tuesday and attend a high level meeting to decide on the Chief Ministerial candidate.

Shivakumar had turned emotional and was in tears after Congress achieved remarkable victory in the May 10 Assembly polls.

He maintained that he had kept the word given to Sonia Gandhi.

Shivakumar is also addressing Sonia Gandhi as 'taayi' and 'amma' (mother).

He said he had dedicated 135 MLAs to the Congress and it is now up to the party to take a call.

Usually, the President of Congress party becomes the Chief Minister without hassles.

Meanwhile, D.K. Suresh, an MP from Bengaluru Rural and also Shivakumar's brother, met AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge and urged that his brother should become the Chief Minister.

Sources explained that an announcement would be made by the end of Tuesday and the new Chief Minister will take charge by Wednesday or Thursday.

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