Bengaluru, May 14, 2023: Congress Legislature Party today unanimously decided to leave the selection of Congress Legislature Party leader to the decision of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Mallikarjun Kharge. Congress leader Randeep Surjewala announced that the party observers will take opinion from each MLA tonight and give the report to the AICC president.
“The Congress Legislature Party unanimously resolves that AICC President is hereby authorised to appoint the new Leader of the Congress Legislature Party”, the one-line resolution read after the CLP meeting.
Randeep Singh Surjewala, AICC in-charge of Karnataka, said, "Siddaramaiah, moved the single-line resolution authorising AICC president to appoint a new leader of CLP party and 135 Cong MLAs proceeded to unanimously approve his resolution. It was endorsed by DK Shivakumar also. Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal informed Kharge about the resolutions and Kharge then instructed KC Venugopal that the three senior observers must take individual opinions of each legislature and convey them to the high command."
Mallikarjun Kharge had deputed former Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Jitendra Singh and Deepak Babaria as observers for CLP election in Karnataka.
Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, the claimants to the CM’s post, were present at the Congress Legislature Party meeting in Bengaluru today. After Congress won Karnataka Assembly elections with a comfortable majority, the race for the CM’s post heated up with both the contenders enjoying a considerable clout within the party.