Karnataka govt formation: CLP to meet today in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: The Congress is all set to name Siddaramaiah as the next chief minister of Karnataka, and a formal announcement on the same is set to be made at a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting on Thursday evening here in Bengaluru.

According to sources while Siddharamaiah will get the CM position, the Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar will be the Deputy Chief Minister.

The oath-taking ceremony is set to be held in Bengaluru on May 20.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will extend an invitation to opposition leaders to attend the swearing-in ceremony, sources said adding that the Gandhis, Congress chief ministers and senior Congress leaders will attend the event in Bengaluru.

The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief Shivakumar 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 today in Bengaluru at 7 pm today.

According to sources, Congress President Kharge worked till late night Wednesday to break the political deadlock over the next chief minister and arrived at a consensus for government formation.

Central Observers from the All India Congress Committee (AICC) have been asked to reach Bengaluru to conduct the CLP Meeting.

Meanwhile, security was stepped up and banners were also put up outside Congress leader Siddaramaiah's residence.

Congress bagged 135 seats in the May 10 elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly ousting the ruling BJP, which got 66 seats while the Janata Dal (Secular) secured 19 seats.