BENGALURU: Karnataka’s CM-designate Siddaramaiah and his deputy-to-be DK Shivakumar, accompanied by a Congress delegation, met Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on Thursday to stake their claim in forming the next government. Prior to the meeting, Siddaramaiah was elected as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party. The Governor accepted their claim and scheduled the oath-taking ceremony for Saturday, May 20.
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In a letter addressed to Siddaramaiah, Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot stated, “Dear Shri Siddaramaiah, I have received your letter dated May 18, 2023, claiming to form the government. I invite you to take the oath as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, and Shri D. K. Shivakumar to take the oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, along with other team members. The oath ceremony will be held at 12:30 PM on May 20, 2023, at Kanteerava Stadium.”
The upcoming swearing-in ceremony is seen as a symbol of opposition unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress has extended invitations to leaders such as Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin, K Chandrashekar Rao, and Nitish Kumar, among others, from like-minded parties.
After several days of impasse, a decision was reached following multiple rounds of discussions at the party headquarters in the national capital. In the early hours of Thursday, a power-sharing compromise was finally reached between the two prominent leaders, DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah.
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The next challenge is the distribution of portfolios, as various communities are vying for significant positions. Shanthinagar MLA NA Haris expressed confidence in securing a position in the Karnataka cabinet, while Congress MLA Laxmi Hebbalkar emphasized the importance of gender equality and called for proportional representation of women across ministries, going beyond the Women and Child Development portfolio.
Congress leader Tanveer Sait highlighted the strong support of minorities for the party and expected significant representation in the cabinet. In an interview, he stated that the community has demanded five ministerial posts.