A resolution passed in Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting today authorises party president Mallikarjun Kharge to choose the next chief minister of Karnataka.?

The newly-elected MLAs of the Congress party met?on Sunday evening in Bengaluru to discuss the formation of the new government. The?meeting began at a private hotel with leaders expected to elicit their views on the Karnataka Chief Ministerial candidate.?

Earlier, the Congress central observers, along with AICC General Secretary (Organisation) ?K C Venugopal held a meeting with Leader of Opposition in the outgoing Assembly Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President D K Shivakumar.?

Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge had deputed former Maharashtra chief minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, AICC General Secretary Jitendra Singh and former AICC general secretary Deepak Babaria as observers for the election of the CLP leader.

The Congress party emerged victorious in Karnataka assembly elections. The party ousted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government from Karnataka, the only South Indian state where the saffron party has any meaningful presence.

Interacting with the media at his residence, Kharge said the win in the Karnataka assembly polls was a victory of the people.?"People in Karnataka have rejected the BJP. The people who were suffering from inflation, unemployment and corruption have ensured the victory of the Congress and that too with a big majority," he said.

The Congress has been given the biggest mandate and it is for a stable government in the state, he said.Kharge said the people, particularly the poor, women, minorities and Dalits, have accepted the five guarantees of the Congress and as per their expectations, these will be implemented.

"We will bring the five guarantees to life on the first day our cabinet is formed and will implement them. This is why we have got a big mandate, we have to serve the people. Our job is to serve the people and ensure the welfare of those who voted for us and also those who did not vote for us," he said.

(With inputs from PTI)