HD Kumaraswamy and Congress' G Parmeshwara took oath as the Chief Minister and Deputy CM of Karnataka, respectively. The two leaders were sworn-in amid a massive show of Opposition unit. Leaders from all anti-BJP parties, barring the TRS and BJD attended the oath-taking ceremony. The question remains whether this unity last till 2019?
Bengaluru: Opposition leaders, including Congress' Sonia Gandhi & Rahul Gandhi, SP's Akhilesh Yadav, AP CM Chandrababu Naidu, WB CM Mamata Banerjee, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury, NCP's Sharad Pawar, & newly sworn in Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy at Vidhana Soudha. pic.twitter.com/nCTbqqkGqZ— ANI (@ANI) May 23, 2018
Senior Congress leader and president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, G Parameshwara, has sworn-in as the Deputy Chief Minister. The Congress-JD(S) government will have a total of 34 Ministers - 12 from the JD(S) and 22 from the Congress. The Cabinet Ministers will take oath after their names will be finalised.
HD Kumaraswamy swears-in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, repeating the oath after Governor Vajubhai Vala. The 58-year-old has become the CM on the second occasion. He had earlier presided over the post in 2006, when the JD(S) had tied up with the BJP. His last tenure, however, lasted for only 20 months.
The entire anti-BJP front, comprising of Congress, JD(S), CPI(M), AIMIM, TDP, TMC, NCP, AAP, SP and BSP, are present at the venue. The oath-taking ceremony begins.
Top Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi have reached the dias. The two leaders greeted BSP supremo Mayawati and waived at the audience to a resounding applause. The swearing-in ceremony is expected to begin shortly.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, along with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and JD(U) rebel Sharad Yadav have reached the dias. The swearing-in ceremony is expected to begin shortly.
JD(S) chief HD Deve Gowda has arrived at the venue of the oath-taking ceremony. Along with Gowda, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav was also seen at the dias waiving at the supporters. For live streaming, click here.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati held a meeting at Bengaluru's Shangrila Hotel ahead of the swearing-in ceremony. Reports said the two leaders held brief interactions. The parties, buoyed by the success of Phulpur and Gorakhpur bypolls, have confirmed to ink a pre-poll agreement ahead of the 2019 general elections.
Heads of eight national parties are attending the swearing-in ceremony of HD Kumaraswamy. They are: Congress president Rahul Gandhi, BSP supremo Mayawati, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, TDP president Chandrababu Naidu, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury.
Bengaluru, May 23: A week after Karnataka threw up a fractured mandate, the state will witness the swearing-in of Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy as its Chief Minister. Decks were cleared for the 58-year-old after his predecessor BS Yeddyurappa resigned on Saturday -- failing to prove the BJP's majority in the 222-member assembly.
Along with Kumaraswamy, Congress veteran G Parameshwara will be sworn-in as the Deputy CM, whereas, senior Congress MLA Ramesh Kumar will be appointed as the Speaker. The oath-taking ceremony, scheduled to begin at 4:30 pm, is being held at the Krantiveera Stadium. Stay tuned above for the live updates.
Out of the 34 ministerial berths, 22 will be allotted to the Congress -- based upon their larger electoral share -- and 12 will be kept by JD(S).
The two parties had inked a post-poll alliance to thwart the BJP. While the Congress had won 78 seats, 37 legislators of the JD(S) had got elected. The BSP, which bagged a single constituency, along with two independents have also pledged support to the coalition government.
The swearing-in ceremony will witness the gathering of a slew of anti-BJP parties. Among the attendees include Congress president Rahul Gandhi, his mother Sonia Gandhi, BSP supremo Mayawati, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, among others.
The occasion will also witness the attendance of four sitting Chief Ministers - Punjab's Capt Amarinder Singh, Delhi's Arvind Kejriwal, Andhra Pradesh's Chandrababu Naidu and West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee.
The Shiv Sena and TRS, although have refrained from attending the event, have extended their wishes to Kumaraswamy. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, who was earlier expected to attend the swearing-in, also pulled out allegedly due to the presence of top Congress leadership.