After both the parties finalised a deal on the 34-member cabinet which will comprise 12 JD(S) ministers and 22 from the Congress, JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy and Congress Karnataka state President G Parameshwara will take oath as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka respectively.
Amidst much speculation, Congress leader KR Ramesh is set to take oath as Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly.
The swearing-in ceremony is also being seen as an index of opposition unity, with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, BSP chief Mayawati, Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav along with Congress president Rahul Gandhi and former party president Sonia Gandhi in attendance.
This comes as a major swoop for the Congress as it outsmarted BJP President Amit Shah’s tactics to defy the odds and form the JD(S)-Congress coalition government.
Here are the live updates:-
- 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 shares stage at Vidhana Soudha.
- Sonia Gandhi meets BSP chief Mayawati at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru; Seem to share close bond.
- Congress’ G.Parameshwara takes oath as Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka.
- HD Kumaraswamy takes oath as Chief Minister of Karnataka, administered by Governor Vajubhai Vala.
- Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi meet BSP chief Mayawati at Vidhana Soudha.
- BSP supremo Mayawati is the next Opposition leader to join Akhilesh Yadav on stage. They warmly exchange pleasantries. They were then joined by former JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav.
- There was a brief spell of rain earlier in Bengaluru but it seems nothing can spoil the mood outside Vidhana Soudha today. The arrangements for the swearing-in are underway.
