AICC to announce Karnataka's new Chief Minister on May 15 in Delhi

The AICC will announce the name of Karnataka’s new CM in Delhi on May 15, and the swearing-in of the new government will take place on May 18.

Earlier, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Karnataka has passed a resolution unanimously authorizing the AICC President, Mallikarjun Kharge, to appoint the next leader of the Congress Legislature Party. The decision comes after a fierce competition between two strong candidates, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, for the post of Karnataka Chief Minister.

The CLP meeting, which took place in Bengaluru and was attended by three AICC observers led by former Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, was called to select the new leader of the party. Congress general secretary Jitendra Singh and former AICC general secretary Deepak Babaria were the other two observers.

With 135 MLAs in the 224-member assembly, the Congress party has a clear majority, more than twice that of the BJP. Siddaramaiah, the Leader of Opposition in the outgoing assembly, and Shivakumar, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president, have both met with their respective loyalists ahead of the CLP meeting.

While the CLP is expected to adopt a one-line resolution authorizing the party high command to decide on the new leader, a poster war has erupted ahead of the meeting. Supporters of Shivakumar gathered outside his residence in Bengaluru on Sunday and raised slogans demanding his appointment as the next Chief Minister of the state.