Siddaramaiah swearing-in ceremony: Congress releases first list of ministers in Karnataka Cabinet

Siddaramaiah swearing-in: The Congress party on Saturday released the first list of MLAs who have been included in the state Cabinet hours before the swearing-in ceremony of Karnataka Chief Minister-designate Siddaramaiah, and his deputy D K Shivakumar in Bengaluru. 

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge confirmed that eight MLAs, who will take oath as ministers, will be attending the ceremony. The tentative names are: G Parameshwara, K H Muniyappa, K J George, M B Patil, Satish Jarkiholi, Priyank Kharge, Ramalinga Reddy, and B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan.

"Today is the swearing-in ceremony of the CM, Deputy CM and eight MLAs who will take oath as the ministers (in the state cabinet), everyone is attending it. I am going for the same. It is a matter of delight that a new & strong Congress Govt has come to power in Karnataka. This will benefit Karnataka and it is creating a good environment in the country," Kharge said. 

Priyank Kharge is the son of Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge. Priyank won from the Chittapur constituency by more than 13,000 votes. Though it is still not clear which portfolio will be assigned to him.  

The oath-taking ceremony will be administered by Karnataka governor Thaawarchand Gehlot at 12.30 PM at Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. The venue is the same place Siddaramaiah took oath in 2013, when he became chief minister for the first time.

Congress recorded a divisive victory in the Karnataka assembly elections 2023 winning 135 out of 224 seats. The BJP came second with 66 seats and JD(S) won 19 seats.

Grand oath-taking ceremony

Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru is all decked up for the swearing-in ceremony.  Sonia Gandhi Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be present at the ceremony. Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Puducherry CM N Rangaswamy and Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren are expected to be a part of Siddaramaiah's oath-taking ceremony.  

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav has announced that he will not attend the swearing-in ceremony of Siddaramaiah. This decision comes shortly after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also confirmed her absence from the event. 

Supporters of Siddaramaiah were seen celebrating all over the city since morning. Banners with Karnataka CM-designate Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM-designate DK Shivakumar, former Congress presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, current party chief Mallikarjun Kharge & other leaders of the party, seen in Bengaluru.

 

Watch: Siddaramaiah & DK Shivakumar swearing in: Siddaramaiah and other Chief Ministers of Karnataka