New Delhi: Amid reports that Siddaramaiah will be the new Karnataka chief minister, DK Shivakumar's brother and Congress MP DK Suresh on Thursday expressed that he is 'not fully happy'. Speaking to the news agency ANI, he said that he wished the CM post for Shivakumar.
"I am not fully happy but in the interest of Karnataka, we wanted to fulfill our commitment... That is why DK Shivakumar had to accept," DK Suresh said.
In the future we will see, there is a long way to go, he added.
Veteran leader Siddaramaiah will be the next chief minister of Karnataka and Shivakumar his deputy, Congress sources said on Thursday after the party arrived at a consensus on government formation in the state following hectic parleys. The swearing-in ceremony will reportedly be held in Bengaluru on May 20.
As per reports, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge along with other stakeholders held meetings past midnight to hammer out a solution between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar -- the two chief ministerial aspirants. Both leaders had been camping in Delhi and held several rounds of deliberations with the Congress' top brass including Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi.
While Siddaramaiah, 75, was Karnataka CM from 2012 to 2018, Shivakumar, 61, has been a minister in the state and is currently the Karnataka Congress chief.
Meanwhile, a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting has been called by Shivakumar, the party's state unit chief, in Bengaluru on Thursday evening. The decision will be announced there. The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief has written to all legislators, asking them to attend the meeting of newly-elected MLAs, MLCs, and MPs at the Indira Gandhi Bhavan on Queen's Road at 7 pm.
It is notable that in the May 10 elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly, the Congress scored an emphatic victory by bagging 135 seats while the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the former prime minister HD Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) secured 66 and 19 seats, respectively.
Celebrations break out at Siddaramaiah's native village
Celebrations broke out near the residence of Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru and at his native village in the Mysuru district on Thursday morning after it emerged that he will be the next Chief Minister. His supporters shouted slogans in his favour as the news came out that he would take oath as the CM on May 20.
The residents of Siddaramanahundi, the native village of Siddaramaiah were, in fact, jubilant since Wednesday following reports that their leader would become the chief minister again. The villagers set off crackers, raised slogans hailing Siddaramaiah, and distributed sweets.
His brother Sidde Gowda was confident that Siddaramaiah will be chosen for the top post.
"There's a guarantee that Siddaramaiah will become Chief Minister. He has done well for the people. He introduced the 'Anna Bhagya' scheme giving free rice to the poor people," Sidde Gowda told reporters in Siddaramanahundi on Wednesday.
