HD Kumaraswamy takes oath as the Chief Minister

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, May 23, 2018: Janata Dal Secular (JDS) leader HD Kumaraswamy is slated to be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka on Wednesday, to form a government in alliance with the Congress party.

This comes just days after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) BS Yeddyurappa resigned from the post before taking trust vote in the Vidhana Soudha. After the voters delivered a fractured mandate in the Karnataka Assembly elections, Governor Vajubhai Vala had invited the BJP, which emerged as the single largest party, to form the government and Yeddyurappa was sworn in as the Chief Minister on May 17.

 

However, with the JDS-Congress alliance having the numbers for government formation, Yeddyurappa was compelled to resign just before taking trust vote in the Assembly.

The swearing-in ceremony is expected to be attended by a galaxy of opposition leaders with regional parties cutting across political lines coming together in a show of unity ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Those scheduled to be present include Congress President Rahul Gandhi, his mother and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh, Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Tejaswi Yadav and actor and politician Kamal Hassan.

 

Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi meet Deve Gowda, HD Kumaraswamy at the dais ahead of the swearing-in ceremony.

HD Kumaraswamy, his brother HD Revanna, G Parameshwara, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are among several politicians present at Vidhana Soudha.

JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy arrives at Vidhana Soudha for his swearing-in ceremony as Karnataka CM. Other opposition leaders are also present on the dais.