Hyderabad, Dec 4 (IANS): The newly-elected MLAs of the Congress party in Telangana on Monday authorised AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge to name the leader of Congress Legislature Party (CLP).

A meeting of the MLAs held at a city hotel unanimously passed a resolution authorising Kharge to name the leader.

“All the MLAs unanimously resolved to authorise AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge to appoint Congress Legislature Party leader,” Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and AICC observer D. K. Shivakumar told media persons after the meeting.

He said the resolution was moved by PCC president Revanth Reddy and seconded by Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Uttam Kumar Reddy, Damodar Raja Narasimha, Sridhar Babu and others.

This authorisation will be sent to Kharge. Shivakumar said they all decided that they will go by the decision of the party.

Shivakumar said they will also meet all the legislators independently and take their opinion. “We are in a process. We will inform you,” he said

The CLP meeting thanked the people of Telangana for giving an opportunity to Congress to serve them with better governance.

It also thanked Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and all senior Congress leaders who campaigned for the party.

All 64 MLAs from across the state attended the meeting at Ellaa Hotel in Gachibowli for the meeting.

Shivakumar attended the meeting along with other observers Deepa Das Munshi, Dr Ajoy Kumar, K. J. George and K. Muraleedharan and AICC general secretary in-charge of Telangana Manikrao Thakare.

The Congress party bagged 64 seats in the 119-member Assembly. The party staked claim for forming the government.

A delegation of Congress leaders called on Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan at Raj Bhavan on Sunday night and staked claim for government formation. The delegation led by Thakre and Revanth Reddy presented a list of newly-elected party MLAs to the governor.