DK Shivakumar is likely to visit Delhi on Tuesday after cancelling his trip yesterday while his contender Siddaramaiah visited the national capital. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee Chief told PTI, "Congress general secretary has asked me to come alone, I'm going to Delhi alone. My health is good."
According to reports, the brother of Shivakumar, DK Suresh has confirmed that he will be visiting Delhi today. He said, "Yes, he will be coming tomorrow." The Congress Member of Parliament from Bengaluru Rural visited party chief Mallikarjun Kharge's residence yesterday, thereafter he spoke to the media.
Fuelling further speculations in the cliffhanger that was the Karnataka election, Chief minister aspirant and state Congress president DK Shivakumar on Monday cancelled his Delhi trip, hours after confirming he would be flying to the national capital, citing health reasons.
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The senior Congress leader is locked in an intense power struggle with Siddaramaiah, his main contender in the chief ministerial race, after Congress stormed to power by winning 135 seats in the May 10 elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly.
"I have some stomach problem. The doctor is coming in ten minutes. It's burning. It looks like some infection and I have a fever... please let me be free," Shivakumar told reporters. Sources close to him confirmed to PTI he will not be going to Delhi today.
Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah, a former Karnataka chief minister, had left for Delhi by Monday afternoon to meet with AICC leaders.
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All is not well for Congress in Karnataka
Shivakumar had earlier given a different reason for going to Delhi late. He had said he and Siddaramaiah have been called to Delhi by the party high command and that he will be going there late due to personal commitments. He also said that he had the “numbers”, confident that his strength is 135, as under his presidency, the party won the said number of Assembly segments.
"Since today is my birthday, a lot of people have come to wish me. I have to go to my deity with my family, after going there, I will leave for Delhi. I don't know what time I will be going to Delhi. I will take whichever flight is available," he had said.
Meanwhile, speaking to news channel NDTV, Shivakumar sent his “best wishes” to his rival, Siddaramaiah.
The clock is ticking and Congress' central leadership needs to decide on the new chief minister of Karnataka. Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have never hidden their CM ambitions.
Congress’ observers have submitted a report on the opinion of the MLAs which they collected in the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting in Bengaluru on Sunday.
The CLP had authorised party president M Mallikarjun Kharge to decide on the CM nominee, allowing the party chief to decide on an issue that was expected to take centre stage at some point in time post-elections in the event of Congress emerging victorious in the hustings.
