Bengaluru: The Congress party will again return to power in Karnataka under the leadership of D K Shivakumar, party’s general secretary K C Venugopal said on Saturday.At the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting held here, Shivakumar was elected leader of the legislature party, paving the way for him to take over as the next chief minister of the state.
The meeting was overseen by AICC general secretaries Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala.
Later, speaking to reporters, Venugopal said under the guidance of AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, a smooth transition of power took place in Karnataka.
He further said, “Under the leadership of Shivakumar, the Congress will return to power again with the support of Siddaramaiah in the 2028 assembly election in Karnataka.”
Venugopal said Siddaramaiah had resigned from his post as Chief Minister, following which the CLP meeting took place and the Congress high command decided to appoint Shivakumar as the next leader.
Shivakumar will take oath as Karnataka CM along with his team on June 3 evening, he said.
Earlier at the legislature party meeting, the Congress high command suggested the name of Shivakumar as the CLP leader. Siddaramaiah proposed the name of Shivakumar, and G Parameshwara seconded it, which the CLP unanimously accepted, Venugopal said.
He said everybody thought this transition of power from Siddaramaiah to Shivakumar would create trouble for the Congress. Some people in the media also thought that a major shake-up was going to happen in Congress, but nothing of that sort happened.
“Ours is a great family. Everybody was behind Siddaramaiah. Many wondered what Siddaramaiah would do. But with one word, he replied from his heart: Only Congress matters. The decision of the Congress high command, the decision of the party, is also the decision of Siddaramaiah. He proved it in a very big way,” the Congress general secretary said.
He added that the CLP unanimously acknowledged the services of Siddaramaiah as chief minister over the last several years and a resolution was passed in this regard.
“The resolution was moved by none other than Shivakumar, congratulating Siddaramaiah for his excellent service as CM of Karnataka,” he noted.
Later in a post on ‘X’, Venugopal termed Shivakumar a fierce fighter with a keen focus on development, public welfare and upliftment of the poor.
He said Shivakumar succeeds a stalwart leader Siddaramaiah who delivered top notch governance.
“We are confident that he (Shivakumar) will take the mantle forward with great commitment and skill. Best wishes to him for a successful tenure ahead!” the Congress leader said.
Meanwhile, congratulating Shivakumar, Surjewala termed him “a true fighter, a dyed in the wool Congress worker, an organiser par excellence, a man in whose blood Congress ideology flows.”
“Above-all, (he is) a leader with compassion and love in his heart for seven crore Kannadigas and a dream to further take Karnataka to the new heights of inclusive development and glory. May you succeed in your endeavours,” he said.
Thanking the outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for his profound service to Karnataka and Congress, he said his eight years tenure will be remembered for his insightful vision, devotion to social justice and a remarkable period of development with purpose and welfare.
“It was a personal honour to work with you, learn from you and translate the Congress ideology of ‘development with welfare’ into policies of government, particularly the five Congress guarantees,” the Rajya Sabha member said.
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