Bengaluru, May 13: The counting of votes for Karnataka Assembly Election Result 2023 is underway, and Congress has crossed the majority mark and has turned up as the largest party in the state. The grand old party is leading on  130 seats in Karnataka Assembly Election 2023. The party has succeeded in restricting the ruling BJP to under 70 seats. The Karnataka Assembly Election 2023 was interesting, considering its significance ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha Election. Now that Congress has crossed the majority mark, all eyes are on whom the grand old party names as the Chief Minister of Karnataka. Former CM Siddaramaiah, State President DK Shivakumar, and Jagadish Shettar are among those who would be given the responsibility to lead the Karnataka government.

Now, the party has an uphill task to choose one from the list amid the suspense over the name of the head of the state. Here are the top contenders for the chief ministerial post. DK Shivakumar Greets Congress Workers Outside His Bengaluru Residence As Party Races Ahead of BJP in Karnataka Assembly Election Results 2023 (Watch Video).

Who Will Be New CM of Karnataka?

Mallikarjun Kharge

Mallikarjun Kharge's name in the Karnataka CM might surprise many as he is currently serving as the National President of the Congress. However, the party may still consider Kharge to diffuse the apparent rivalry and fight for the CM post. A Dalit leader with over 52 years of political experience, the 80-year-old won his first Assembly seat in 1972. He served as minister in all Congress governments in the state since 1976. Karnataka Election Results 2023 Latest News Updates: Congress Crosses Majority Mark by Securing Lead on 114 Seats.

Kharge's name came up as a CM contender thrice — 1999, 2004 and 2013. However, he missed out every time. Recently, when Kharge was asked about him being in a race to become Karnataka CM, he said, "When I am in capacity to appoint CM, why're you saying that I should become (CM)? You want to little down my position."

Siddaramaiah

The 75-year-old Congress leader could be the party's top choice for the new Karnataka CM. Hailing from Siddaramanahundi in Mysuru district and a former chief minister, who served from 2013 to 2018, was one of the two Karnataka CMs who completed the five-year term. The veteran leader has years of parliamentary experience and is a master when it comes to dealing with legislators. However, decisions taken during his tenure and the party losing seats under his watch in the 2018 assembly election could go against him.

DK Shivakumar

The Karnataka Congress president has an image of a dashing politician, and he is the party's  ‘go-to man’ to shelter Congress legislators from other states in times of crises. Having been MLA for eight terms, this is the best time for the 60-year-old to become chief minister. He is a quintessential loyalist of the Congress party, and the high command knows that Shivakumar can be relied upon to raise funds for fighting elections in other states and the coming Lok Sabha polls.

The only thing that could go against Shivakumar is that he has spent 104 days in jail and is on the radar of CBI, ED, and the IT department. The party might consider this factor while naming Shivakumar as the new Karnataka CM.

Jagadish Shettar

The former Karnataka CM jumped the ship from BJP to Congress just ahead of the polls when the party denied him a ticket. Having served as the 15th chief minister of Karnataka, the party might approve his name for the CM post.

G Parameshwara

Senior Congress leader, G Parameshwara, is contesting from his traditional constituency of Koratagere in Tumakuru district for the 2023 Karnataka assembly election. Considered the Congress's representative for Dalits in Karnataka, G Parameshwara is a veteran politician. He has previously held the position of deputy CM in the state.

The high-voltage campaign for election to the Karnataka Assembly came to an end on May 8, while the polling was conducted on May 10. The grand old party released the manifesto for Karnataka Assembly Election 2023 on May 2. It reiterates the give guarantees of the party - Gruha Jyothi (electricity), Gruha Lakshmi (₹2,000 every month to women heads of families), Anna Bhagya (food grains to BPL families), Yuvanidhi (unemployment support) and Shakti (free travel for women under State buses). A day before the polling, all Congress candidates signed a "solemn pledge" on Tuesday to deliver on the "five guarantees" promised by the party to the people of the state if voted to power.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 13, 2023 01:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).