Siddu is CM

• DKS is sole Deputy CM
• Power-sharing formula of 2.5 years each; Siddu to move to national politics later

Bengaluru: Ending days of speculation and negotiations, the Congress this morning chose Siddharamaiah as the 24th Chief Minister of Karnataka and KPCC President D.K. Shivakumar (DKS) as his lone deputy.

The oath-taking ceremony will take place on May 20 at Sri Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. The Congress will also elect its new CLP leader this evening. The meeting of newly-elected MLAs, MLCs and MPs is scheduled to be held at the Indira Gandhi Bhavan on Queen’s Road at 7 pm. Earlier on Wednesday, Siddharamaiah and Shivakumar, both contenders for the top job, held separate meetings with party leader Rahul Gandhi and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge. AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal formally announced in New Delhi this noon that Siddharamaiah will be the next CM and Shivakumar will be his solo deputy.

Venugopal said that Shivakumar will continue as the KPCC President till the next Lok Sabha elections. A group of Ministers will also be sworn-in along with Siddharamaiah and Shivakumar, he added.

“We believe in consensus and not in dictatorship and that’s why the party had been holding meetings to decide on the next Karnataka CM. Both Siddharamaiah and Shivakumar are assets to the party and the power-sharing formula is to share the power with the people of Karnataka,” he said.

A backward class leader with over five decades of political experience, 75-year-old Siddharamaiah is considered one of the three remaining mass leaders of Karnataka — alongside former Prime Minister 91-year-old H.D. Deve Gowda of the JD(S) and former CM 80-year-old B.S. Yediyurappa of the BJP.

Deal finalised at 2.30 am

Though Venugopal did not mention the power-sharing formula, inside sources told Star of Mysore that the deal between Shivakumar, Siddharamaiah and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge was clinched after night-long talks and finally former Congress Presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi addressed the leaders through video conferencing at 2.30 am.

Sonia Gandhi reportedly told Shivakumar that the party and the family would stand by him in any eventuality.

Shivakumar relented after he was told that he will be the lone Deputy CM with the influential Energy and Water Resources portfolios. In addition, the High Command has conceded to his demand that the majority of Cabinet Ministers would be his ‘loyalists’.

Power-sharing formula

As per the power-sharing formula, Siddharamaiah will be the CM for the first 2.5 years and he will move to the National politics later, facilitating Shivakumar to be the CM for the next 2.5 years. Sources said that at the CLP meeting this evening, Siddharamaiah will make an announcement that he will be the CM only for 2.5 years with the remaining term taken over by Shivakumar.

Earlier, both the leaders were opposed to the power-sharing formula as the Congress had made a similar promise in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh but has not implemented it, leading to discontentment. Shivakumar had stuck to this line of argument but relented later after the High Command asked Siddharamaiah to officially announce the 2.5-year formula at the CLP meeting.

Depends on LS poll outcome

Sources said the veteran leader had agreed to make the ‘sacrifice in the interest of the party’. The power sharing arrangement, it is learnt, now hinges on the Karnataka Congress’ performance in the LS election next year. Both Shivakumar and Siddharamaiah have been asked by the High Command to work in unison for the Lok Sabha elections to ensure the victory of Congress candidates.

Meanwhile, arrangements were afoot at Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru where the swearing-in ceremony will take place. Security has been stepped up near the residence of CM-designate Siddharamaiah in Bengaluru and around the Stadium where the ceremony will be held.