Congress, which registered an emphatic victory defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka on Saturday, now faces the challenge of deciding the chief minister amid the speculations of Siddaramaiah being the front-runner followed by state party president DK Shivakumar.

Aiming to decide on the matter, Karnataka Congress leaders including the party president and newly elected MLAs of the party will hold a Congress Legislature Party meeting today in Bengaluru. According to sources, the leaders will pass a resolution authorising the party’s high command to decide on the CM face and the Deputy CM face.

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“Siddaramaiah is the first front-runner for the CM Post, so the Congress high command is in favour of making him the chief minister,” sources said.

They further said that the party’s leadership has offered him the post of the Deputy CM, acknowledging his hard work.

“Shivakumar has also been offered an important ministry,” sources said.

After emerging victorious in the Karnataka polls which the party described as a “stepping stone to the Lok Sabha polls”, Congress wants to project Siddaramaiah who belongs to OBC Kurba Samaj as the Chief Minister’s post, sources said.

Sources said that the party is mulling having three deputy chief ministers in Karnataka.

“DK Shivakumar of Vokkaliga Samaj, G Parameshwara of Dalit Samaj and MB Patil of Lingayat Samaj should be the Deputy CM with him,” they said.

“Congress has also told Shivakumar that there are ED cases against him, which BJP will create a ruckus about. So he accepted the proposal till 2024. Shivakmar is ready for this, but he does not want another deputy CM,” sources added.

Earlier today, Congress MLAs including Dinesh Gundu Rao, Rizwan Arshad, Puttaranga Shetty C and Satish Jarkiholi met party leader Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru today ahead of the party’s CLP meeting.

Siddaramaiah and Congress MLA Priyank Kharge arrived at the residence of party national president Mallikarjun Kharge in Bengaluru.

Congress leaders Bhai Jagtap, Sanjay Nirupam and other party workers recited ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ at a temple in Mumbai following the party’s victory in Karnataka polls.

Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar along with his family visited Nonavinakere Kadasiddeshwara Mutt to take the blessings of Vrishabha Deshikendra Seer after winning the elections.

Congress won 135 seats in the Karnataka Assembly polls ousting the BJP from power which won 66 seats.