New Delhi, December 15: As senior Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Ashok Gehlot are set to take oath as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan respectively on December 17, the opposition prepares for a show of strength at the swearing-in ceremonies. The highlight of the oath-taking ceremonies in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh will be the congregation of leading opposition leaders.

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav and Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav are expected to attend the oath-taking ceremonies of Kamal Nath and Ashok Gehlot.

West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee will send a representative and stay back in Kolkata due to death of a relative, reported news agency ANI. Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be present at both the events. Along with Gehlot, Sachin Pilot will take oath as deputy chief minister of Rajasthan. Punjab CM Amarinder Singh Flays Shiromani Akali Dal for Politicising Kamal Nath 1984 Riots Issue.

The Congress won 114 seats in the 230-member Madhya Pradesh assembly. It fell two seats short of the half-way mark, but ensured the support of 121 MLAs with Samajwadi Party (one seat), Bahujan Samaj Party (2) and four Independents backing it. In Rajasthan, it bagged 99 out of 199 seats that went to polls, falling just one seat short of the majority mark of 100. However, BSP, SP and other parties supported the Congress to form the government.

The unity among the opposition parties against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was at display at the swearing-in ceremony of Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy in May this year. A galaxy of national and regional leaders and Chief Ministers of some non-BJP states from across the country turned up for the ceremony.

Among the prominent political leaders present on the huge dais were UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav, Sharad Yadav, Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, Sharad Pawar and Tejashwi Yadav. Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), N. Chandrababu Naidu (Andhra Pradesh) and Pinarayi Vijayan (Kerala) were also present at the 10-minute swearing-in ceremony.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 15, 2018 05:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).