The deal was made after Sonia Gandhi spoke to DK Shivakumar
New Delhi:
Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar has accepted the party’s proposal to become the next deputy chief minister of the state after the intervention of former party chairman Sonia Gandhi, sources claimed.
Party sources say that the top Congress has elected Siddaraamah for the role of Chief Minister, with Mr. Shivakumar as his deputy.
The deal was finalized after Sonia Gandhi spoke late last night with Mr. Shivakumar, who confirmed his demand for the post of chief minister, to resolve the deadlock.
The Congress struggled to get Mr. Shivakumar on board with the idea of a second term for Mr. Siddaramaiah in the top position.
Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar had met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary KC Venugopal yesterday and presented their case as contenders for the top post.
Ms Gandhi spoke to Mr Shivakumar late last night after which he accepted the number 2 spot.
The swearing-in is scheduled for Saturday in Bengaluru.
Mr Shivakumar had pushed for the top post, citing his work over the past four years – after the coalition government with HD Kumaraswamy’s Janata Dal Secular collapsed following a massive party change by MLAs. But he also said he would not resort to “blackmail”.
“Sonia Gandhi said to me, ‘I have every confidence that you will liberate Karnataka’. I sit here and do my normal responsibility. You should have the basic courtesy, a little gratitude. They should have the courtesy to recognize who is behind the win,” he had previously told DailyExpertNews in an exclusive interview.
