Suspense continued for the fourth day in a row on Wednesday on who will be the next chief minister of Karnataka with the Central Congress leadership finding it difficult to settle the issue despite marathon talks with the two main contenders for the coveted post, former chief minister Siddaramaiah and Pradesh party chief D K Shivakumar.

AICC in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala, however, sought to play down the speculation that the leadership issue in the state, where the party registered a resounding victory in the just-concluded Assembly elections, remains unresolved because of the refusal of both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to back down.

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Surjewala said AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge has been authorised to appoint the new leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) and he was still holding deliberations. “Whenever Congress makes a decision, we will inform you. In the next 48-72 hours, we will have a new cabinet in Karnataka,” he told reporters.

The Congress leader made an appeal to the media not to resort to any speculation. ”Whenever a decision is taken by the Congress president, we will be happy to inform you. I am only here to quash multiple rumours and hearsay …that are being played on multiple news channels. Please don’t believe them,” he said.

Attacking the BJP for making uncharitable remarks on the Congress for the delay, Surjewala recalled that the saffron party itself took 10-15 days to decide on the chief ministerial post while the Congress leadership was committed to resolving it as quickly as possible.

He also said the next Congress government in Karnataka was committed to fulfilling the five guarantees the party made to the people of the state. “We will implement the five guarantees as promised by Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi,” he added.

He also said that the party will ensure there was no “40 per cent commission government” in the state.

Earlier in the day, there were reports that 75-year-old Siddaramaiah, who has been camping in the National Capital, would be named new chief minister this evening. However, Shivakumar, who too is in Delhi, met senior leader Rahul Gandhi and is believed to have stuck to his demand that he be given the chief ministership since Siddaramaiah has already held the post in the past. Shivakumar also met the AICC chief later. Siddaramaiah also met the top Central leaders to reinforce his claim to the chief ministership.

Sources said that the Central leadership had offered Shivakumar the deputy chief ministership along with the post of the PCC chief which he currently holds but he did not agree. Former AICC president Sonia Gandhi is also learnt to have spoken to Shivakumar in an attempt to convince him for reconciliation.