T'gana Cong MLAs authorise Kharge to name chief minister

A day after the Congress stormed to power in Telangana, the newly elected MLAs on Monday authorised AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge to appoint the leader of Congress Legislature Party (CLP), as the party began discussions to decide on the chief minister of the state.

- Suresh Dharur

According to Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, who is the AICC observer for Telangana, "all the members of the newly elected Congress party unanimously resolved to authorise Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to appoint the Congress Legislature Party leader".

"All have decided that whatever the high command decides, we will go by that," Shivakumar told reporters after a meeting of the CLP, which lasted for over three hours at a private hotel in Hyderabad. Shivakumar left for Delhi later in the day to hold discussions with the central leadership.

"The decision from the high command is awaited. We are expecting clarity tomorrow. (Tuesday)," a senior party leader aware of the matter said on condition of anonymity.