Kharge says high command will choose CM

The Congress stands a very good chance of winning the Karnataka Assembly polls and the high command will take a call on the next chief minister, senior party leader Mallikarjun Kharge said on Tuesday, indicating that incumbent Siddaramaiah may not be the automatic choice.

He said the Congress high command will choose the chief minister in consultation with the newly-elected MLAs if the party is voted to power for a second term.

The Congress has consistently maintained it is contesting the polls under the leadership of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah but refrained from declaring him its candidate for the top job. Kharge's remarks indicated that the leadership question in the Congress was far from settled.

When asked if the party's central leadership has decided on who the next chief minister would be, Kharge said "unnecessary controversy" should not be created in the run-up to the elections.

"CM (Siddaramaiah) is already there. He is leading (Congress campaign) and he is the captain. As long as he leads, he is the captain. And the party, whenever it wants, can change anybody because the high command is the ultimate authority. In consultation with local (newly elected) MLAs, they (the high command) will take decision (on who will be CM)," Kharge said.

Kharge, leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha, said that since the BJP and the JD(S) were facing problems, they had declared their chief ministerial nominees.

The BJP has declared its state unit chief B S Yeddyurappa and the JD(S) has chosen H D Kumaraswamy as their chief ministerial faces. Both have been chief ministers in the past.

Talking about the Congress's electoral prospects, Kharge said, "We have got a very good chance to win the elections and I hope that we will get the majority."

He also claimed that neither the Congress nor the chief minister is facing "anti-incumbency".

Kharge defended Siddaramaiah for filing nominations from two constituencies -- Chamundeshwari and Badami.

Noting that Kumaraswamy is also contesting from two seats, he asked, "Have Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda not done so?"

"People of the area (Badami and north Karnataka) want Siddaramaiah to contest from Badami. He has got a lot of clout in that area also. People (Opposition parties in Karnataka) are creating a sort of atmosphere that there is no hope (for Siddaramaiah in Chamundeshwari) and that's why he is contesting (from Badami). It's not like that," Kharge added.