After the Congress party’s historic victory in the Karnataka assembly elections on May 14, 2023, the party is now deciding who will be the new Chief Minister of the state. The Congress has asked its national chief, Mallikarjun Kharge, to decide on the appointment, and every MLA will meet the Congress’s team of observers to share their choice. The new Chief Minister and the cabinet will take oath on Thursday, as per sources.
The two Congress leaders vying for the top post are DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah. Concerns have been raised over a stand-off if the matter is not resolved, and both leaders’ supporters were seen outside the Bengaluru hotel where the Karnataka Congress Legislature Party meeting took place. Congress General Secretaries Sushil Kumar Shinde, Deepak Babaria, and Jitendra Singh Alwar were the observers at the meeting.
The final decision on the Chief Minister’s appointment will be made by Kharge after considering the opinions of the MLAs. The Gandhis and Kharge will attend the oath-taking ceremony on Thursday, and invitations have been sent to all “like-minded” parties to attend the event. The Karnataka cabinet’s final shape will be determined in a day or two, as per sources.
Meanwhile, posters have come up outside Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar’s houses, referring to them as the “next Chief Minister of Karnataka.” The BJP, which had been ruling the state, was voted out of power, with the Congress winning 135 seats in the 224-member house. The BJP won only 66 seats, down from 104 in the 2018 state elections. The Congress win is a record in terms of both seats and votes share in over 30 years, with a vote share of 42.88%.
Karnataka has 51 reserved constituencies, out of which 36 are for Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates and 15 for Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates. The BJP did not win a single seat reserved for the ST category. The Congress’s success in Karnataka is attributed to Sunil Kanugolu, a low-profile strategist and Congress member who played a prominent role in crafting the party’s successful campaign. His ability to get the narrative right, use field surveys, and analyze polling data helped the party win a historic victory.
