The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Karnataka has unanimously elected DK Shivakumar as its new leader, making him the next Chief Minister of the state. The decision was taken in a very important CLP meeting at the Conference Hall of Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, which is an important step in Karnataka.
The election of DK Shivakumar as the new legislature party leader follows that of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as the new leader of the assembly party, which has been made after Siddaramaiah's resignation as Chief Minister.
Although political observers had anticipated Shivakumar being elected as the new leader of the national party when Siddaramaiah resigned, the Congress party followed the democratic path by forming a CLP meeting on a formal basis, and the party was unanimous with the approval of the legislators of the Congress party.
Siddaramaiah himself moved the resolution to appoint DK Shivakumar as the new leader of the Congress Legislature Party. The resolution was seconded by senior Congress leader and Home Minister G. Parameshwara. The resolution was supported by all legislators present and the party leadership and legislative wing for the first time, and it was unanimous.
Several senior Congress leaders were at the meeting as observers, including Jairam Ramesh, K. C. Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala. Their participation also showed the importance of the leadership transition and the party's national leadership’s involvement in the process.
Before the CLP meeting, DK Shivakumar went to Vidhana Soudha and prayed for Ajjayya, asking for blessings before his big political moment ahead. He also sought to meet legislators before the meeting, and went across the hall and shook hands with each MLA, a gesture that was widely considered a sign of unity and gratitude for party members.
DK Shivakumar's elevation to the Chief Minister's post is the culmination of years of political work within the Congress party. He served as Deputy Chief Minister in Siddaramaiah-led government for the past three years and was also responsible for the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president. The party's organisational structure and electoral performance have been made stronger with his help.
The newly drafted Chief Minister-designate is scheduled to take the oath on June 3. The date was decided on the basis of discussion and advice from seers of the Nonavinakere Kadasiddeshwara Math, who suggested the right time for the ceremony. Swearing-in will take place on Wednesday evening.
The ceremony will be a simple and dignified one at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru, as opposed to big events for leadership transitions. Congress leaders say the event will not be overrated and will be organised as simply as possible and as smoothly as possible.
KPCC Working President and Rajya Sabha member G.C. Chandrashekar had already officially announced the details of the swearing-in ceremony. Party leaders said that the decision to hold a modest event was taken to minimise inconvenience to the public and maintain a people-centric approach.
