Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar will be called to Delhi if required: Congress central observer Shinde

Congress leader and central observer for the legislature party meeting Sushil Kumar Shinde on Monday said senior leaders Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar — seen to be front-runners for the post of Karnataka Chief Minister — would be called to Delhi for consultations, if required.

”We observers along with Congress General Secretary and in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala and General Secretary (Organisation) [K C Venugopal] will go to Delhi,” Shinde told reporters here.

”Our report (based on feedback received at the Congress Legislaure Party meeting) is secret, which we can’t divulge. Only our party president Mallikarjun Kharge can reveal it,” he said.

If required, Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah will later be called to Delhi, he pointed out.

Kharge had deputed former Maharashtra chief minister Shinde, AICC General Secretary Jitendra Singh and former AICC general secretary Deepak Babaria as observers for the election of the CLP leader.

Shivakumar is engaged in an intense competition with senior party leader Siddaramaiah for the Chief Minister’s post.

The Karnataka Congress Legislaure Party at its meeting on Sunday unanimously passed a resolution authorising AICC President M Mallikarjun Kharge to choose the new Chief Minister of the State.

In the May 10 polls to the 224-member Assembly, the Congress won 135 seats, the BJP 66 and the JD (S) 19. The results were declared on May 13.