The Congress high command has called both leaders to Delhi to discuss the issue of chief ministership. Ahead of leaving for Delhi, Shivakumar said that 135 MLAs have given their opinion and passed a one-line resolution, and few have expressed their personal opinion.

Ahead of leaving for Delhi, DK Shivakumar on Monday once again asserted that it was under his leadership, the Congress got a majority in Karnataka. Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah are lobbying hard for the chief ministership in the southern state, where Congress got a historic mandate by bagging 135 of 224 seats.  

The Congress high command has called both leaders to Delhi to discuss the issue of chief ministership. Ahead of leaving for Delhi, Shivakumar said that 135 MLAs have given their opinion and passed a one-line resolution, and few have expressed their personal opinion. "My power is the 135 MLAs and under my leadership, the Congress has won 135 seats," he said.

Shivakumar today said that he believed in one thing - "a single man with courage makes a majority". "I don't want to disclose what has happened in the last 5 years. But I assured Rahul, Sonia, and Kharge that my aim is to deliver Karnataka to the Congress party. We assured her in writing also that we will work, rest High command will take a decision," he said.  

Shivakumar is considered close to the Gandhi family and is a troubleshooter for the party in Karnataka. He was made the party's state chief in July 2021. Shivakumar was the man who tried hard to save the Congress-JDS government after a few MLAs defected to BJP.      

Siddaramaiah has arrived in Delhi to meet the party's high command. India Today on Monday reported that Siddaramaiah has presented a proposal that he could be the chief minister for two years while DK Shivakumar could steer the government for the remaining three years. The former chief minister said since he is ageing, he wants to get the first half of the government up and running at least till next year's Lok Sabha elections.

However, DK Shivakumar is believed to have rejected the proposal citing the cases in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) on Sunday passed a unanimous resolution authorising Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to pick the next chief minister of Karnataka.

Congress General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said three observers - Sushil Kumar Shinde, general secretary Jitendra Singh and Deepak Babaria - will submit their report to Mallikarjun Kharge tonight. "We have taken the views from all the MLAs. The meeting went on till 2 am. We have prepared a report and will submit it to the Congress president," observer Jitendra Singh said.