Who will be the new chief minister of Karnataka? Clear signals are likely to emerge by Friday evening provided the process to select the new Congress Legislature Party leader does not end in deadlock.
There are enough signs that choosing the new CM is not going to be easy with a section of veteran Congressman trying to pip the chances of former deputy CM Siddaramaiah, a front-runner for the post. They feel the best way to do this is to push more aspirants into the fray and divide the votes of the CLP if the CM has to be decided by a vote. With Union minister Mallikarjun Kharge having the solid backing of a large number of MLAs from North and Hyderabad Karnataka, a division of votes would only spoil the chances of Mr Siddaramaiah, say these Congressmen. Siddara-maiah joined the party about seven years ago while Mr Kharge was a minister in the Devraj Urs Cabinet in the 1970s.
Meanwhile, both Mr Kharge and Mr Siddaramaiah are doing their best to stay ahead in the race and so are other contenders, like former KPCC president R.V. Deshpande and former minister D.K. Shivakumar. Siddaramaiah held a dinner for party MLAs at a five-star hotel which was reportedly attended by nearly 30 legislators, including 11 Kurubas.