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Siddaramaiah will take oath as Karnataka's Chief Minister for the second time today, along with Karnataka...
Digital Desk: Siddaramaiah will take oath as Karnataka's Chief Minister for the second time today, along with Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar as the Deputy Chief Minister.
Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the Chief Minister and his Cabinet at 12.30 PM at Bengaluru's Kanteerava Stadium. For the occasion, Congress chief M Mallikarjun Kharge has reportedly invited leaders of like-minded parties for the swearing-in ceremony.
The venue is the same place where Siddaramaiah took his oath as chief minister of Karnataka for the first time in 2013.
The event could serve as a show of strength for opposition parties as they work to unite against the ruling BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
In response to a question from reporters in Delhi about how many opposition party leaders would attend the swearing-in, Shivakumar stated, "We are requesting our AICC president to take care of, for us, first is the Congress president and the Gandhi family, we are here to invite them personally." The Congress announced Siddaramaiah as the next chief minister on Thursday, and state PCC president Shivakumar, a strong contender for the top position, as his only deputy, breaking a tense standoff following lengthy talks involving the party's central leadership.
A meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) later formally selected Siddaramaiah as its leader and chief minister, after which he staked his claim with the Governor, who invited him to form the government.
The 75-year-old will become CM for the second time, following a five-year tenure in 2013. While 61-year-old Shivakumar, who previously worked as a minister under Siddaramaiah, will continue as the party's Karnataka state president until the Parliamentary elections next year.
The first difficult task that Siddaramaiah is expected to confront is putting together a Cabinet with the correct mix of representatives from all communities, regions, groups, and also from among the old and new generations of legislators.
With the Karnataka Cabinet's sanctioned strength of 34, there are far too many contenders for ministerial posts.
M Mallikarjun Kharge, former Congress Presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, and several Congress chief ministers and leaders are slated to attend the event.
Among those invited to the swearing-in ceremony are Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, and National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah.
The new government is scheduled to fulfill its five guarantees at its first cabinet meeting following the swearing-in ceremony.
The Congress has promised to implement the guarantees of 200 units of free power to all households (Gruha Jyoti), 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), 10 kg of rice free to every member of a BPL household (Anna Bhagya), 3,000 every month for graduate youth and 1,500 for diploma holders (both in the age group of 18-25) for two years (YuvaNidhi), and free travel for women in public transport buses (Shakti), on the first day of assuming power in the state.
"Our first priority is to keep the promises we made to the people," Deputy Chief Minister-designate Shivakumar said.
Officials said elaborate safety precautions have been put in place in and around the venue to ensure that the event runs smoothly and without incident in the presence of several national-level leaders and those from other states, and that traffic movement will also have to be managed because the event will take place in the heart of the city.
Reportedly, three platforms/stages have been built, and LED screens have been installed for people to watch the swearing-in ceremony.
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