Sonia Gandhi’s pivotal role behind Karnataka CM deal

After hectic deliberations for several days, the Congress' central leadership has finally ended the deadlock over Karnataka's new chief ministerial position. Siddaramaiah will be the next chief minister of Karnataka and DK Shivakumar his deputy, Congress sources said on Thursday. The swearing-in ceremony will be held in Bengaluru on May 20.

Media reports stated that former Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday evening had a conversation with DK Shivakumar, who had been firm on his demand for the Chief Minister post, to resolve the issue. 

They added Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge along with other stakeholders held parleys past midnight to hammer out a solution between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar -- the two chief ministerial aspirants.

"It has been decided by consensus that Siddaramaiah will be the next chief minister and Shivakumar will be the deputy chief minister," a Congress source said.

A Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting has been called by Shivakumar, the party's state unit chief, in Bengaluru on Thursday evening. The decision will be announced there.

The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief has written to all legislators, asking them to attend the meeting of newly-elected MLAs, MLCs and MPs at the Indira Gandhi Bhavan on Queen's Road at 7 pm.

Sources close to Shivakumar said he decided to make the "sacrifice" and agreed to be deputy chief minister in the interest of the party.

Hectic parleys were held on Wednesday to break the deadlock in deciding on the Congress' chief ministerial pick in Karnataka with both the hopefuls presenting their cases before the top brass even as the party asserted that an outcome is likely within a day or two.

In the May 10 elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly, the Congress scored an emphatic victory by bagging 135 seats while the ruling BJP and the former prime minister HD Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) secured 66 and 19 seats, respectively.