Decision on appointment of Karnataka CM in a day or two: Congress

A decision on the appointment of the Chief Minister of Karnataka will be known in a day or two, All India Congress Committee spokesperson Pawan Khera said on Tuesday.

Khera told reporters in Hyderabad that the views of the newly-elected MLAs have been elicited and the central leadership is seized of the matter.

Noting that the post of Leader of Opposition is equally important in every state, he sought to know when the Bharatiya Janata Party will appoint the LoP in Karnataka.

"Appointing a Chief Minister is not an easy thing. It cannot be imposed from Delhi...Everybody's view has to be taken into consideration. We have to engage with every stakeholder and then decide who the chief minister will be," he said.

"The process is on. The observers have already gone there. Met the MLAs. The MLAs have given their opinions. Now, the opinions have gone, all the record has gone to the central leadership. So, in a day or two you will know the answer," Khera said.

On government formation, the Congress leader said the BJP took seven days in Uttar Pradesh, one month in Maharashtra to put in place a cabinet and nine days in Assam.

Khera was replying to a question on when a decision on the next CM of Karnataka would be announced by the party.

Asked if there would be any alliance with ruling BRS in Telangana for the 2024 Parliamentary elections, he said Telangana is one of the states where the Congress would take on the regional parties "head on" and defeat them.

Similarly, the Congress cannot think of an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, he added.

"Head on. Direct fight which we will win."

Asked about dissident Congress leader Sachin Pilot's yatra in Rajasthan, Khera said the party would act upon the report of its Rajasthan in-charge who has taken the views of party leaders in that state.

He said there are more than one competent leader in the party in different states, including Rajasthan, and that only one leader becomes the Chief Minister. The other leaders too have hopes and ambitions, he said.

"The party has a mechanism. Every party would have and our party also has. We have our 'prabhari' there. Randhawa saab is our 'prabhari' there. The report that he gives after speaking to all, we will act upon that report," he said.

Khera also said the party's questions with regard to EVMs continue in spite of the Congress party's victories in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka.

According to him, the concerns of Congress with regard to EVMs include, tallying of VVPATs with the results, the allegedly missing machines and the faulty machines and the SOPs not being followed on the faulty machines which recently came to light.

On Congress' manifesto in Karnataka talking about a ban on Bajrang Dal and whether any investigation would be initiated, he said action would be taken if any organisation is found spreading hatred.