Karnataka govt formation highlights: Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar meet governor, stake claim to form govt

Karnataka Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar meet governor Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot.

Karnataka govt formation LIVE Updates: After a four-day wait, the Congress party has formally announced that Siddaramaiah will be named the new Karnataka chief minister, and DK Shivakumar is set to be his sole deputy. Celebrations were in full swing at Siddaramaiah's native village and outside his residence in Bengaluru, with supporters displaying banners, pouring milk over his posters and raising slogans. 

The CM and deputy CM, along with a few other ministers, will be sworn in to their new roles at Bengaluru's Kanteerava stadium on Saturday at 12:30pm, KC Venugopal said.

Reports said the grand old party talked about a rotational tenure of two-and-a-half years each for both the leaders, however, there was no talk on this at the party briefing confirming the CM announcement.

Kharge is said to have come to the decision after hectic meetings for the past three days with the party's high command - Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, the two contenders, leaders from Karnataka, the Congress central observers and newly-elected MLAs, among others.

The Congress party emerged as the single largest party in Karnataka after witnessed a big win in the May 10 assembly election, securing 135 seats and giving the state a decisive mandate. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) meanwhile won 66 seats, and regional party, the Janata Dal (Secular), managed to get 19 seats. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.