Bangalore: Congress leader Siddaramaiah will take over as Karnataka chief minister today, beginning the party’s rule of the state on its own after a gap of nine years.
Governor H R Bhardwaj will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Siddaramaiah at Sree Kanteerva stadium in city centre.
This is the first time in Karnataka that a chief minister will be sworn-in at a stadium as work on metro rail has taken up much of the space in front of the Vidhana Soudha, the majestic state secretariat, the usual venue for such functions.
The stadium is about three kilometre from Vidhana Soudha.
The other venue has been the lawns of the Raj Bhavan, about a kilometre from Vidhana Soudha, which however cannot accommodate thousands of supporters of the 64-year-old leader from his home district Mysore and from other parts of the state who want to witness the function.
Only Siddaramaiah is expected to be sworn-in today as there are many aspirants for ministerial berths from among the 120 (excluding Siddaramaiah) newly elected Congress assembly members and several members of the legislative council.
Siddaramaiah, chosen on May 10 by the party to lead the government, has said that he and the state Congress chief
G Parameshwara would go to New Delhi today to finalise the names of the ministers in talks with the high command.
Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, Siddaramaiah told reporters in Mysore, about 130km from here, that the party’s election manifesto had made a number of promises and he would draw up a plan to ensure their time-bound implementation.
He sought cooperation of all sections of the society, including Dalits, as at a few places some Dalit organisations have organised protests against what they claim as “denial” of chief ministership to union Labour and Employment Minister Mallikarjun Kharge,
a Dalit.
“I am also a Dalit (in the sense that he is from a deprived section of the society),” said Siddaramaiah, who belongs to Kuruba (shepherd community) caste.
Siddaramaiah said Kharge deserved the post but high command has given the responsibility to him and all should abide by it.
Kharge also appealed to the protesting Dalits to end the agitation. He told reporters in Bangalore that the Congress high command has taken the decision and now the focus should be on helping the party to provide good governance and not protests.
The Congress won 121 seats in the 225-member assembly for which election was held on May 5 and votes counted on May 8. The Congress last ruled the state on its own in 1999-2004. For nearly two years in 2004-2006, it headed a coalition with Janata Dal-Secular.
IANS
