As consultations continue to elect the leader of the Congress Legislature Party in Karnataka, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and State Congress Committee President D.K. Shivakumar met Rahul Gandhi separately on Wednesday.
The meeting of the two leaders with Rahul Gandhi at 10 Janpath, the residence of Congress parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi, is being seen as an attempt to reach an agreement on the chief minister post.
While Siddaramaiah discussed with Rahul Gandhi for about half an hour, Shivakumar spoke to him for more than an hour.
After meeting Rahul Gandhi, Shivakumar reached the residence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.
Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar are strong contenders for the post of Chief Minister of the state, though Siddaramaiah is considered to be the frontrunner in the race.
Earlier, intense churning continued in the Congress on Tuesday to choose the next chief minister of Karnataka and party president Mallikarjun Kharge first held discussions with Rahul Gandhi and then met Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, both considered to be strong contenders for the post.
Kharge had a detailed discussion with the three observers and senior leaders of the party on Monday as well.
The observers had also submitted their report to the newly elected MLAs based on their opinion.
Meanwhile, former Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president G Parameshwara has virtually staked claim saying he is ready to handle the chief minister’s post if the party high command gives him the responsibility.
The Congress Legislature Party, which met last Sunday evening at a private hotel in Bengaluru, unanimously passed a resolution empowering party president Kharge to choose the leader of the Legislature Party, who would become the next Chief Minister of Karnataka.
In the elections held on May 10 to the 224-member assembly in the state, the Congress won 135 seats, while the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) won 66 seats, respectively. And won 19 seats.
