State Assembly chief DK Shivakumar cancels visit to Delhi, citing ill health
Published Date – Tue, 16 May 23 at 07:00 AM
Congress
New Delhi/Bangalore: Suspense over Karnataka’s new chief minister intensified on Monday as state assembly chief DK Shivakumar called off a visit to the state capital, citing health concerns, after he and top job frontrunner Siddaramaiah were summoned for discussions by the central leadership.
Three central observers interacted with party MLAs on their selection for the CM post after the Legislative Party meeting in Parliament on Sunday, briefed and presented their report to party chairman Mallikarjun Kharge. After the meeting, AICC responsible for Karnataka Randeep Surjewala told reporters that the party will announce its decision on Tuesday night.
“The observer has submitted the report to the Congress president. We will consult with all senior state leaders including Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar and then the Congress president will make a decision,” he said.
The party’s high command summoned former chief ministers Sidharamaia and Shivakumar to further discuss government formation. Siddaramaiah arrived in the state capital on Monday afternoon, but Shivakumar called off his visit hours after confirming he would fly to Delhi, sparking speculation that factional fighting in Karnataka’s parliament was rearing again.
Shivakumar has changed his travel plans, citing health reasons, but sources say he may travel to Delhi on Tuesday. “I have a problem with my stomach. The doctor is 10 minutes later. It’s burning. Looks like some infection, I have a fever…please set me free…,” he told reporters. Sources close to him also confirmed that he will not be traveling to Delhi on Monday.
Amid various claims about the number of MLAs backing him and Siddaramaiah for the CM post, Shivakumar said earlier on Monday that his strength was 135 because the party had won seats during his presidency. Shivakumar’s move was seen by many as a “pressure tactic” to assert his claim to the top job, showing that the leadership war in the southern state is far from over.
Three observers – Sushilkumar Shinde, Jitendra Singh and Deepak Babaria – returned to the capital on Monday morning. Sources said they had met Kharge with the secretary-general of the AICC responsible for Karnataka and secretary-general organization KC Venugopal and discussed the views expressed by the MLA.
At the same time, the party is also in full swing preparing to hold the inauguration ceremony of the chief minister as a big show of strength, and will invite many opposition party leaders to attend.
