Bengaluru, May 17 (IANS): The impasse over the selection of Karnataka's next Chief Minister continued on a fourth day on Wednesday with both Siddaramaiah and state Congress president D.K. Shivakumar not settling for anything lesser than the coveted post.

The Congress high command is hopeful of somehow finding a solution during a meeting on Wednesday in New Delhi.

Senior leader Rahul Gandhi and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge will speak to Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, party sources stated.

Shivakumar is claiming that after for nearly 25 years, Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities have voted for the Congress because of him and if he was not made the Chief Minister, the party would lose their support, according to the sources.

He refused to accept the post of Deputy Chief Minister and flatly declined to work with Siddaramaiah.

Shivakumar told Kharge that instead he will remain an MLA and would not indulge in anti-party activities.

He also told him that he will extend his full support if Kharge himself becomes the Chief Minister.

On the other hand, Siddaramaiah is citing the criminal cases against Shivakumar and arguing that if the latter is made named the Chief Minister, the BJP will use it to attack the Congress at the national level.

Siddaramaiah stressed that the Ahinda vote bank has propelled the Congress to victory and he was their leader.

If he is not made the Chief Minister, Congress will lose next year's Lok Sabha elections, the sources explained.

Shivakumar has told Kharge that Dalits and minority votes were always there with Congress and Siddaramaiah cannot own them.

Kharge is also the reason for consolidation of votes of oppressed classes for the Congress party, the sources said.

Shivakumar defended that party very well when he was targeted and sent to jail by BJP for standing by the Congress party.

The high command is carefully considering the claims.

As the Congress leadership wants to send a message to the country from Karnataka, it does not want anything to go wrong which would spoil the momentum.

Siddaramaiah meets Rahul Gandhi

A day after meeting Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the outgoing Karnataka Assembly, Siddaramaiah on Wednesday arrived at the residence of Rahul Gandhi for a meeting.

Siddaramaiah, who is said to be the front-runner for the chief ministerial post in the state arrived at 10 Janpath for the meeting.

According to party sources, the meeting is being dubbed as a courtesy meeting and the first after party's thumping victory in Karnataka.

On Tuesday evening, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah held meeting with Kharge.

Siddaramaiah had arrived in the national capital on Monday afternoon by a special flight.

Before Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar had also met Kharge at his residence. Shivakumar arrived in Delhi on Tuesday afternoon after cancelling his Monday trip due to stomach infection.

According to party sources, Kharge is likely to make an announcement on the new Karnataka chief minister on Wednesday after discussing the observers' report with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former party chief Rahul Gandhi.

On Tuesday afternoon, Rahul Gandhi, party general secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala held a long discussion with the party chief to decide on the new Karnataka chief minister. The meeting of the senior Congress leaders lasted for over one and half hours.

On Monday night, party sources had said that the Congress chief will decide on the next CM of Karnataka after discussing the result of the secret ballot voting with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former party chief Rahul Gandhi. Sonia Gandhi is currently in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla.

On Monday, all the three observers submitted their report to Kharge and the meeting of the party leaders lasted for over five hours.

Veteran leader Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar are vying for the top post.

Sources said that despite Siddaramaiah getting the majority during the secret ballot, Shivakumar is not willing to budge. He is claiming that he had delivered the victory to the party and hence deserved the chief minister's post.

Congress had won 135 seats in Karnataka whereas ruling BJP managed to win only 66 and the JD(S), which was hoping to play the role of a kingmaker, was reduced to 19 seats.