"CLP meeting will be held tomorrow at 4 pm; High Command will take call": DK Shivakumar on Karnataka leadership change

New Delhi [India], May 29 (ANI): Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar on Friday said that a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting will be held in Bengaluru on Saturday at 4 pm in the presence of party observers, who will later consult the party high command before taking a final call on key organisational decisions.
Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar said, "A CLP meeting will be held in Bengaluru tomorrow at 4 PM. Our two observers will arrive. We will conduct the CLP meeting in their presence, and subsequently, they will take a call after consulting with the High Command."
The Karnataka Congress chief also said that the announcement of Rajya Sabha candidates will be made along with other states, adding that the final decision rests with the party leadership at the central level.
"We will release our list alongside those of other states. That is the information I have received. They (party high command) will inform you. This does not fall within my jurisdiction. The party high command will take the decision on this matter--even in the case of MLCs," he said.
On being asked about when he would take oath as Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shivakumar said he was not aware of the timeline and indicated that the decision would come from electing the CLP leader.
"I still do not know when they will elect the leader of the Congress Legislature Party. Then we will discuss," he added.
The developments come amid key organisational discussions within the Congress in Karnataka over legislative leadership and nominations, including Rajya Sabha, following the resignation of Karnataka's Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on May 29.
Ahead of the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting convened for Saturday regarding the election of Karnataka's new Chief Minister, former Karnataka Minister Madhu Bangarappa on Friday stressed the possibility of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar taking the position of the new CM of the state.
Speaking to ANI, he said that the process to elect the new Karnataka Chief Minister is going smoothly and the decision will be taken after the CLP meeting.
"It is going to be very smooth. You know, really, it's the greatness of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Though there were a lot of speculations in the media, where a lot of things are going to erupt or something like that, I think the high command and Siddaramaiah have really handled it very well. And then, it's now the next phase we'll have to go. And I think that's it, it's a high command call. And I think it looks like D.K. Shivakumar will be, you know, that Congress Legislative Party is there, then after that, then so on, the procedure will start," he said. (ANI)