Siddaramaiah sworn in as CM, D.K. Shivakumar as DyCM of Karnataka as boisterous crowd cheers new Congress government

They took the oath of office in Bengaluru before a huge crowd of Congress supporters and workers, and representatives of almost every non-BJP political party.

Amid a boisterous crowd running into thousands, and in the presence of a host of national leaders, Congress Legislative Party leader Siddaramaiah took the oath of office as the 24 th Chief Minister of Karnataka, along with KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar, who was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister.

In a joyous occasion for the Congress party that lasted for over an hour at Kanteerava stadium in Bengaluru, eight senior Congress MLAs were sworn in as cabinet ministers by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot. They included G. Parameshwar, K.H. Muniyappa, K.J. George, Priyank Kharge, Satish Jarkiholi, Ramalinga Reddy, B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan and M.B. Patil, whose names were cleared late on the night of May 19.

Mr. Siddaramaiah had sent their names to the Governor’s office on May 20 morning. The names of eight leaders were cleared after multiple deliberations by the central leaders of the Congress even as several other senior leaders and cabinet hopefuls remain on tenterhooks.

“People have blessed the Congress, and the victory of the Congress is a victory of the people. Our governance will meet the expectations of the people who have sought a change. We will clear the guarantees in the cabinet meeting today. We will also implement all the promises made in the manifesto in the next five years,” Mr. Siddaramaiah announced after he was administered the oath of office.

Soon after Mr. Siddaramaiah was sworn in, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi — in a show of bonhomie — hugged the newly sworn in Chief Minister.

The mood at Kanteerava stadium was electrifying hours before the oath ceremony as Congress supporters — many with flags and tattoos — trooped into the stadium. The crowd roared its approval during the entry of each of leader on the dais. While an estimated 20,000 supporters were in the stadium to witness the momentous occasion of Mr. Siddaramaiah taking the oath of office of CM for the second time, a few thousands persons were disappointed at not being allowed inside the venue.

The occasion was marked by the presence of AICC president Mallikarjuna Kharge, and Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Also in attendance were Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Deputy Tejaswi Yadav, former Chief Ministers of Jammu & Kashmir Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, CPI leader D. Raja, CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan, and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Sharad Pawar.