NEW DELHI: Siddaramaia sworn in as Chief Minister of Karnataka while Speaker of State Congress DK Shivakumar he was sworn in as deputy prime minister on Saturday, a week after the grand old party secured a decisive victory in assembly elections.
Siddaramaiah, who previously served as chief minister of Karnataka from 2013 to 2018, emerged as Congress’ choice for the top post after a frantic fight with Shivakumar that lasted nearly a week.
Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot swore an oath of secrecy to the prime minister and his cabinet at Bangalore’s Sree Kanteerava Stadium, where Siddaramaiah was sworn in in 2013 when he first became prime minister.
Apart from Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, eight other lawmakers were sworn in as ministers: G Parameshwara, KH Muniyappa, KJ George, MB Patil, Satish Jarkiholi, Priyank Kharge (son of Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge), Ramalinga Reddy and BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan .
After being sworn in as CM, Siddaramaiah vowed to give an administration that people have come to expect from his party.
He also reiterated that the five “guarantees” from Congress will be approved in the Cabinet and an order will be issued to implement them today.
Show of strength
The swearing-in ceremony turned into a muscle-flexing platform for the opposition with the who’s who of the political parties participating in the event.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Nationalist Congress Party Chairman Sharad Pawar, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and National Conference Chairman Farooq Abdullah were among the opposition leaders who attended the ceremony.
Also present were PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti, Prime Ministers of Congress-ruled states – Bhupesh Baghel (Chhattisgarh), Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan) and Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh) – and Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav (RJD) of Bihar .
Also in attendance were former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, actor-politician Kamal Haasan, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, CPM Secretary General Sitaram Yechury and CPI Secretary General D Raja.
Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did not attend the ceremony.
Banerjee designated TMC Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar to participate in the program on his behalf.
Former Union Minister M. Veerappa Moily said on Friday that the swearing-in ceremony could also be a stepping stone for opposition unity and a show of strength and solidarity.
(With inputs from PTI)
Siddaramaiah, who previously served as chief minister of Karnataka from 2013 to 2018, emerged as Congress’ choice for the top post after a frantic fight with Shivakumar that lasted nearly a week.
Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot swore an oath of secrecy to the prime minister and his cabinet at Bangalore’s Sree Kanteerava Stadium, where Siddaramaiah was sworn in in 2013 when he first became prime minister.
Apart from Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, eight other lawmakers were sworn in as ministers: G Parameshwara, KH Muniyappa, KJ George, MB Patil, Satish Jarkiholi, Priyank Kharge (son of Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge), Ramalinga Reddy and BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan .
After being sworn in as CM, Siddaramaiah vowed to give an administration that people have come to expect from his party.
He also reiterated that the five “guarantees” from Congress will be approved in the Cabinet and an order will be issued to implement them today.
Show of strength
The swearing-in ceremony turned into a muscle-flexing platform for the opposition with the who’s who of the political parties participating in the event.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Nationalist Congress Party Chairman Sharad Pawar, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and National Conference Chairman Farooq Abdullah were among the opposition leaders who attended the ceremony.
Also present were PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti, Prime Ministers of Congress-ruled states – Bhupesh Baghel (Chhattisgarh), Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan) and Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh) – and Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav (RJD) of Bihar .
Also in attendance were former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, actor-politician Kamal Haasan, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, CPM Secretary General Sitaram Yechury and CPI Secretary General D Raja.
Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did not attend the ceremony.
Banerjee designated TMC Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar to participate in the program on his behalf.
Former Union Minister M. Veerappa Moily said on Friday that the swearing-in ceremony could also be a stepping stone for opposition unity and a show of strength and solidarity.
(With inputs from PTI)
