Karnataka CM swearing in ceremony live updates: Siddaramaiah & DK Shivakumar meet guv, stake claim to form Karnataka govt

Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar met Rahul Gandhi separately on Wednesday morning. The latter also visited Kharge for what turned out to be an extended stay of around two hours, but it included lunch and interactions with other visitors. Shivakumar met Surjewala again in the evening following which top Congress office-bearers met late night, with reports of the the Gandhis, including Sonia, joining by video, as it appeared to be the last leg of the process. Late at night, Siddaramaiah went to meet party general secretaries KC Venugopal and Surjewala.

As suspense continues over the formation of a new government in Karnataka, a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting has been called by the party's state unit chief D K Shivakumar here on Thursday evening. The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief has written to all the legislators, asking them to attend the meeting of newly-elected MLAs, MLCs and MPs at the Indira Gandhi Bhavan on Queen's Road here at 7 pm.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge worked till late night Wednesday to break the political deadlock over the next CM in Karnataka and arrived at a consensus for government formation.

"I think it will get finalised by tonight. There is no problem at all," says Congress leader Ajay Singh on announcement of new Karnataka CM.

Siddaramaiah is meeting Congress party's Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala and general secretary KC Venugopal at the latter's residence in Delhi.

In a tweet, Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, who is also the in-charge of Karnataka, targeting the BJP and media said: "A section of our dear friends of the media have fallen victim to the fake news factory of BJP on formation of the next Congress government in Karnataka"

Amid suspense over the next Karnataka Chief Minister, the Congress on Wednesday warned the party leaders to not make any out of turn remarks as it will be treated as "indiscipline" and action will be taken accordingly.

The Congress on Wednesday hit out at the BJP for criticising it over the delay in deciding the chief minister of Karnataka, and cited examples when the saffron party declared its chief ministers in Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Assam several days after winning the polls.

Shivakumar, who is one of the contenders for the chief ministerial post in the state, first met Gandhi at 10 Janpath and the meeting lasted for over an hour. After this, the Kanakapura MLA arrived at the residence of Kharge and their meeting lasted for over one and half hours.

Talking to reporters on Wednesday, the former CM said that the people of Karnataka voted for the Congress party so it must work to bring development in the state. "Delay in deciding the CM despite getting a full majority shows a lack of unity in the party. The Congress Party must stop playing politics, select a new CM and serve the people by forming the government", Bommai said.

Taking a jibe at the Congress party over the delay in deciding Karnataka Chief Minister, former CM Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said that it shows a lack of unity in the party despite getting a full majority.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing till July 14 on the CBI appeal against the Karnataka High Court order staying a corruption case against DK Shivakumar. The court said that the publicity should be avoided in the matter against DK Shivakumar for two to three days. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Sanjay Karol deferred the matter for further hearing on July 14.

Security was stepped up in Ramanagara, the home district of Karnataka Congress President D K Shivakumar, on Wednesday as a precautionary measure in light of his supporters staging protests at multiple places after some media outlets claimed that he lost the race for the Chief Minister's post to Siddaramaiah.

Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar on Wednesday met his supporters at his brother DK Suresh's residence.

AICC in-charge of state Randeep Surjewala has said that Karnataka will have a five-year-long stable government and urged people not to believe in speculation and "fake news" which it alleged was being peddled by the BJP.

Two Ministers in the outgoing BJP government on Wednesday sought to blame senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah for the defection of a group of his party's MLAs that led to the collapse of the H D Kumaraswamy-led coalition government in 2019 after being in power for 14 months. K Sudhakar and S T Somashekar, who were Health and Cooperation Ministers respectively in the Basavaraj Bommai government, raised the issue at a time when Siddaramaiah is in a stiff competition with state Congress president D K Shivakumar to become the Chief Minister, after the Congress won the Assembly polls by securing 135 seats.

The meetings came a day after Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar held separate meetings with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence and held discussions with him over government formation.

Karnataka's two chief ministerial aspirants Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar on Wednesday met Rahul Gandhi here separately amid hectic parleys in the Congress to decide on the candidate for the top post in the southern state.

AICC in-charge of state Randeep Surjewala said the party chief has been authorised to appoint the leader of the legislature party and that is why deliberations are underway.

Amid intense speculation over the next chief minister of Karnataka, the Congress has said a decision on it is likely on Wednesday or Thursday.