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99% chance that Shivakumar will become Karnataka CM on January 6, Congress MLA claims
Congress MLA Iqbal Hussain has been openly demanding that Shivakumar be made chief minister and had publicly expressed his wish a day earlier as well.
A Congress MLA, H A Iqbal Hussain, on Saturday claimed Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar will take over as Karnataka’s chief minister on January 6, replacing incumbent Siddaramaiah.
Speaking to reporters, the Ramanagara MLA said Shivakumar should be given an opportunity to hold the top post, according to a PTI report.
“There is a 99 per cent chance that he becomes chief minister on January 6,” Hussain told PTI, reiterating his support for the deputy chief minister.
Asked about the significance of the date, Hussain said, “I don't know. It's just a random number. Everybody is saying this. It can either be January 6 or 9. These are the two dates.”
Hussain has been openly demanding that Shivakumar be made chief minister and had publicly expressed his wish a day earlier as well.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Railways and BJP MP V Somanna said he was backing Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara for the chief minister’s post.
Addressing a programme in Tumakuru, Somanna said, “Getting power is luck. I never dreamt that Parameshwara would remain just as the Home minister. It is our wish to see him as CM. Not just me but the people of Tumakuru have this desire to see him as the CM.”
When asked about D K Shivakumar, who is also seen as a strong contender, Somanna responded, “Leave it. That's secondary. What Shivakumar wants to become depends on his luck. Conduct is even bigger than luck.”
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What is happening?
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar are scheduled to meet Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi in Delhi on December 14, sources said on Saturday, amid their continuing tussle over the chief minister’s post in the state.
The meeting will take place after the Congress’s mega rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi, organised as part of the party’s ‘Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod’ campaign alleging collusion between the ruling BJP and the Election Commission, people familiar with the matter told HT.
The Congress enjoys a comfortable majority of nearly 140 MLAs in the 224-member Assembly.
The leadership tussle has sharpened since the Congress government crossed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, amid reports of a possible agreement to split the chief minister’s tenure for 2.5 years each as part of a generational transition.
Neither the party nor either leader has officially confirmed such an arrangement, though Shivakumar had referred to a “secret deal” a few days ago without offering details.
So far, 63-year-old Shivakumar has not made any overt move against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, 77.
