DK Suresh, the brother of senior Congress leader and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar, expressed his happiness at the possibility of his brother becoming the Chief Minister, with the party winning the Assembly election. Speaking to the media on Saturday, May 13, Suresh said, "I will be very happy as a brother and as a common man if DK Shivakumar becomes CM."
The Congress party has emerged victorious in the recently concluded elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly, having won 129 seats and leading in seven more constituencies as of 7 pm on Saturday, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). With the Congress high command now tasked with selecting the next Chief Minister of Karnataka, there has been much speculation about who will take up the top job in the state, with DK Shivakumar and former CM Siddaramaiah being the top contenders.
DK Shivakumar, a seven-time MLA and one of the senior leaders of the Congress in Karnataka, has been seen as a frontrunner for the post. He has also served as a state minister on multiple occasions in the past.
His brother DK Suresh, who is also a Congress leader and a Member of Parliament from Bengaluru Rural, praised his brother's leadership qualities and said he was confident that DK Shivakumar would work towards the development of the state if he were to become the Chief Minister.
DK Shivakumar was appointed the KPCC president in March 2020, less than six months after he was released from Tihar jail in Delhi, jailed for nearly 50 days over an alleged money laundering case. Upon his release, DK Shivakumar was given a hero’s welcome and garlanded in Bengaluru. He has been hailed by his supporters as a mass leader who enjoys a considerable following in Karnataka. His possible appointment as the Chief Minister of Karnataka has also been welcomed by many Congress workers and leaders in the state. However, Karnataka Congress leaders have repeatedly told the media that the final decision on who will become the next Chief Minister rests with the party high command.