Bengaluru: The Congress party held a secret ballot among its newly elected MLAs to decide the next chief minister of Karnataka, as heavyweights D.K. Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah remain steadfast in their claim to the top chair.
Voting and collecting opinions from newly elected MLAs started post 10 pm on Sunday night as the party leaders gathered for the first time after the resounding victory in the May 10 assembly election. It went on till about 2.30 am, people aware of the developments said.
“They have collected all the opinions and will now place it before the Congress president and then decide how to go about it,” an MLA told ThePrint.
“There were one-to-one meetings held and their opinions were cast in the form of a secret ballot and sealed which will be taken to Delhi by the national observers and opened before the high command,” another MLA said.
The meeting began with one resolution thanking all supporters and the party high command while another was to authorise Congress national president Mallikarjuna Kharge to appoint a new legislature party leader.
The secret ballot, a Congress insider said, was to protect the MLAs from falling out with the side they oppose as the race heats up between Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah.
Another leader said that the process should at least “appear democratic” and that there should be no criticism that opinions were ignored.
Outside Shangri-la hotel in Bengaluru, supporters of the two leaders assembled for a show of strength. The supporters of Shivakumar, seemingly more organised with flags and pictures of their leader, chanted ‘DK, DK’.
From the Siddaramaiah camp, the supporters held out a monochrome photocopy of the former chief minister. A few quick runs were made to bring better quality pictures and to muster the numbers to stand up to the visibly rival group
While the supporters sweated out on the roads, the lobby inside the hotel was full of small-time leaders and workers. Some MLAs had to wear identity cards to be identified as legislators as nearly 35 new faces were elected this time.
At around midnight, the Congress leadership gathered around Shivakumar who cut at least two different cakes surrounded by his party men, as he turned 61.
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‘Seer pressure’
Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga, is largely credited with revitalising its cadre in the recently concluded elections, while Siddaramaiah, a Kuruba, is a mass leader with open support of several MLAs.
Seers, representing various communities, have also joined in the discussion with Nirmalanandanatha Swami, the head pontiff of the Sri Adichunchanagiri Mutt, Sunday saying that he will appeal that Shivakumar be made the chief minister.
But Lingayats, a group that is largely believed to have shifted a portion of their votes to the Congress, are now demanding their share of the pie.
“Even our swami jis will also say it,” said 92-year-old Shamanur Shivashankarappa. “There is M.B. Patil, Eshwar Khandre, myself, (S.S.) Mallikarjun…..,” the veteran Congressman added. On a question if he is also in the race, without hesitation, the Davangere South MLA said; “yes yes, why not?”
Rambapuri Swamy, an influential Lingyat seer, on Monday said that Patil should be made deputy CM.
Shivashankarappa’s son S.S. Mallikarjun said that out of the 51 tickets given to Lingayats, 39 were elected and an internal meeting will be held to decide how they should proceed forward.
There were demands from minority groups as well with Shafi Sadi, the chairman of the state waqf board, saying that a Muslim should be made the deputy chief minister.
“We got 15, and nine Muslim candidates have won. In about 72 constituencies, the Congress won purely because of the Muslims. We, as a community, have given a lot to the Congress. Now it’s time we get something in return,” he added.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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