Although he is the new chief minister, he is a veteran. Siddaramaiah was selected as the new chief minister of Karnataka by the Congress because of his track record of managing state governments and the support of a number of MLAs. Siddaramaiah's path from a struggling farming family to serving as chief minister twice is the most fascinating of all.

Ending days of suspense and uncertainty, the Congress has picked senior leader Siddaramaiah as the new chief minister of Karnataka and DK Shivakumar as his deputy.

There was a tough fight between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for Karnataka's top post after the Congress's stupendous victory in the May 10 Assembly polls.

Sources have learnt that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge reached the decision after midnight that Siddaramaiah will be made the chief minister for a second time.