Bengaluru: Siddaramaiah began his second innings as chief minister of Karnataka last week in the presence of more than a dozen top non-BJP politicians from across the country and a full house of Congress stalwarts. His 61-year-old deputy and Congress’s state unit chief DK Shivakumar were sworn in with eight ministers - all senior MLAs, including G Parameshwara, a former deputy CM and state Congress head in 2013 who recently threw his hat into the ring for the CM’s post.
The 75-year-old Siddaramaiah took oath in the name of “God”, unlike his first swearing-in as CM in 2013 when he took the vow for“truth”. He holds the distinction of being only the third CM of Karnataka (after S Nijalingappa and D Devaraj Urs) to complete a full term (2013-18).
Although the original plan was to administer oaths to 28 ministers to ensure a full-fledged cabinet, only eight took the oath.
While Siddaramaiah batted for KJ George, MB Patil, Satish Jarkiholi, and BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, Shivakumar pitched for G Parameshwara, KH Muniyappa, Ramalinga Reddy, and Priyank Kharge, son of AICC chief Mallikarjuna Kharge. The oath was administered by governor Thaawarchand Gehlot at a grand ceremony attended by 60,000 people at the Kanteerava Sports Stadium in Bengaluru..
UPA chief Sonia Gandhi did not attend the event reportedly due to health reasons. She said in a personalised video address: “I would like to reassure the people of Karnataka that the Congress government which has been sworn in today will stand by its commitment to implement the promises made to them. I am proud that the first Cabinet meeting has already approved the immediate implementation of our five guarantees.”
Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra shared the dais with a host of prominent faces from non-BJP parties, in cluding Bihar CM Nitish Kumar of JD(U), NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Tamil Nadu CM and DMK head MK Stalin, Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav of RJD, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren of JMM, former Jammu and Kashmir CMs Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, and actor-politician Kamal Hassan, among others.