Kumaraswamy takes oath as Karnataka CM; top Oppn attend ceremony : The Tribune India

Join Whatsapp Channel

Kumaraswamy takes oath as Karnataka CM; top Oppn attend ceremony

BENGALURU: Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy was sworn in as chief minister of Karnataka on Wednesday in a ceremony that several opposition leaders attended.

Kumaraswamy takes oath as Karnataka CM; top Oppn attend ceremony

Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala administers the oath to JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy as Karnataka Chief Minister during the swearing-in ceremony, in Bengaluru, on Wednesday. PTI



Bengaluru, May 23

HD Kumaraswamy was on Wednesday sworn in as the chief minister of a Janata Dal-Secular-Congress coalition government in Karnataka.

Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office to Kumaraswamy, the state's 25th chief minister, at 4.30 pm on the grand steps of the state Secretariat in the presence of national and regional leaders from across the country.

Parameshwara of the Congress took oath as the deputy chief minister.

Both the leaders took oath in Kannada in the name of god, farmers and the people of the southern state.

A galaxy of national and regional leaders and chief ministers of some non-BJP states from across the country were present on the occasion.

Among the prominent political leaders present on the huge dais were UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, BSP supremo Mayawati, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, expelled Janata Dal (United) President Sharad Yadav and Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury.

Chief Ministers Mamata Bannerjee (West Bengal), N. Chandrababu Naidu (Andhra Pradesh) and Pinarayi Vijayan (Kerala) were also present at the 10-minute swearing-in ceremony.

Thousands of JD (S) and Congress cadres and supporters from across the state, especially the Mysuru region thronged the venue braving the rain.

Managing the contradictions in the coalition may not be a smooth sailing for the 58-year-old leader after the JD (S) and the Congress fought a bitter electoral battle in the state, particularly in the old Mysuru region.

Kumaraswamy himself conceded that running the coalition government for the next five years would be a "big challenge" for him.

The first task for him would be a smooth expansion of his Council of Ministers, as the Congress would want to have a big share in the ministerial pie as it has more than double the number of MLAs the JD (S) has.

The Congress has 78 lawmakers in the Lower House against the 37 of the JD (S).

A section of Lingayat MLAs of the Congress wanted a person from their community to be the deputy chief minister as Kumaraswamy belongs to another politically influential caste, the Vokkaligas.

However, Rahul Gandhi approved the name of Dalit leader G Parameshwara for the post, Venugopal said.

DK Shivakumar, another Vokkaliga leader of the Congress who emerged as a key figure in keeping the party MLAs together before the trust vote, was also a contender for the deputy chief minister's chair, but the party high command opted for Parameshwara.

 The BJP, which is the single largest party with 104 MLAs in the 224-member Assembly (effective strength 221), would not allow Kumaraswamy to have a smooth running.

The BJP has dubbed the Congress-JD (S) alliance as "unholy" and claimed that the government will not complete its full term.

The saffron party boycotted the ceremony and announced it would observe "anti-popular mandate day" to protest the formation of the coalition government.

Challenges ahead

Kumaraswamy said the Congress and the JD (S) had succeeded in tying Prime Minister Narendra Modi's “Ashwamedha” horse (victory horse) in Karnataka.

"I had said after the Uttar Pradesh election results came out that my aim is to tie the Ashwamwedha horse of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah (BJP President). Today both Congress and JD (S) together have tied their Ashwamedha horse in Karnataka," Kumaraswamy said in an address to the press after he was sworn in.

Calling himself a "child of circumstances," Kumaraswamy said he decided to join hands with the Congress on the advice of several political leaders in the  "national interest". "Probably, in the days to come, Amit Shah has to go to Narendra Modi with lifeless Ashwamedha horse, as we have tied their horse."

He said many people were having doubts about whether the coalition government would last and assured them that he would provide a stable government.

"There is doubt whether this government will last long. With my conduct and that of my government, I will ensure that this opinion will change. I want to make it clear to the people of the state," he said.

Conceding that people had these doubts because the JDS broke away from the Congress in 2006 to form a government with BJP, Kumaraswamy said: "The nature of our relationship thereafter has led to a doubt about our confidence in each other, and can we work together. I want to tell people of the state that this government will be a stable one. This coalition government will be more stable than one party government.

He admitted however that there were challenges ahead.

"It will not be easy for me to run this government easily. I will have to take every step with caution, that is the situation."

Agencies

 


 

Top News

New Haryana ministers take oath

Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini carries out first cabinet expansion, inducts 8 ministers

BJP MLA from Hisar Kamal Gupta is the first one to be admini...

Supreme Court asks Centre to respond within 3 weeks to pleas seeking stay of CAA

Supreme Court asks Centre to respond to petitions seeking stay on implementation of CAA

A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud posted the m...

Ex-Indian ambassador to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu joins BJP

Former Indian ambassador to US Taranjit Sandhu joins BJP, to contest Amritsar Lok Sabha seat

With Sandhu in the fray, BJP hopes to win back Amritsar wher...

Raj Thackeray meets Home Minister Amit Shah ‘to keep Uddhav Thackeray factor’ at bay

Raj Thackeray meets Home Minister Amit Shah ‘to keep Uddhav Thackeray factor’ at bay

If the alliance is sealed, the MNS may be given one seat to ...

Election Commission directs West Bengal government to appoint Sanjay Mukherjee as DGP

Election Commission directs West Bengal government to appoint Sanjay Mukherjee as DGP

The poll panel removed Vivek Sahay as West Bengal DGP, less ...


Cities

View All