Congress central observers for Karnataka have submitted their report on the opinion of MLAs on the CM candidate to party president Mallikarjun Kharge who will consult UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to arrive at a final decision. The name of the next Karnataka CM will be announced in the coming 24 hours, source said to ANI.
The Karnataka cliffhanger on who would be the Chief Minister has apparently been resolved in favour of Siddaramaiah. Though the Congress is yet to make a formal announcement, state party chief DK Shivakumar, one of the two contenders for the top post, indicated that he was pulling out. The 61-year-old, who was expected to visit Delhi this evening, in a sudden turnaround, said he would not and wished Siddaramaiah all the best, "since he has the numbers". Siddaramaiah, who is already in Delhi, is expected to meet party chief Mallikarjun Kharge. The Central observers, deployed by the Congress to sense the mood among the party MLAs, have submitted their report. In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Shivaumar denied it was a "rebellion". "I do not rebel, do not do blackmail… I am not a child. I have my vision, loyalty," he told NDTV.
At least 236 houses and eight refugee camps have been damaged after super cyclone Mocha' struck several parts of Mizoram, officials said on Monday, reported PTI. A total of 5,749 people in more than 50 villages were affected by the powerful winds on Sunday, they said. However, there were no reports of fatalities. Super cyclone Mocha' made landfall along the Myanmar-Bangladesh coasts on Sunday, after intensifying into the equivalent of a Category-5 storm, causing extensive damage to the southeastern coastlines and forcing the evacuation of over five lakh people in low lying areas. Of the 236 houses, 27 were completely damaged and 127 houses were partially damaged, the officials said. Siaha district in the southern part of Mizoram, which shares its border with Myanmar, was the worst hit as 101 houses, including two relief camps, suffered damages, they said. The super cyclone made landfall on the Teknaf shorelines before making its way through the Naf River that divides Bangladesh and Myanmar.
The Congress faces an acid test after its emphatic win in Karnataka assembly polls, with both state chief DK Shivakumar and senior leader Siddaramaiah eyeing the chief minister spot. Siddaramaiah has already reached Delhi. DK Shivakumar has indicated that he needs to be in Bengaluru through the day on account of his birthday, but would reach Delhi by night.
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