BENGALURU: Preparations for the swearing-in of the Karnataka Chief Minister at Bengaluru’s Sri Kanteerava Stadium have come to a complete halt. All decorations have been taken down, indicating a further delay in the announcement of the CM’s name. Initially, there were reports suggesting that Siddaramiah had been finalized as the CM. However, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala quickly dismissed these reports as ‘fake news’ planted by BJP. Surjewala indicated that the party may take another 42 to 78 hours to finalize the CM’s name. “Delibrations are currently underway by party president Mallikarjun Kharge. Whenever Congress makes a decision we will inform you. In the next 48-72 hours, we will have a new cabinet in Karnataka,” he told reporters in New Delhi.
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Meanwhile, the BJP took a dig at the Congress, criticizing their failure to finalize a CM candidate despite having a majority and raised doubts regarding the party’s commitment to Lingayats. Bommai highlighted that this situation reflects poorly on the Congress. Bommai stressed the importance of prioritizing the aspirations of the people over political maneuvering and urged the Congress to swiftly select a CM.
Bommai also expressed skepticism about the upcoming cabinet, indicating his interest in seeing the level of representation granted to the Lingayat community in the new government. “The Congress leaders have made numerous promises regarding the Lingayat community… It remains to be seen which positions will be allocated to Lingayats, including that of the chief minister and deputy chief minister,” he remarked.
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In the Karnataka Assembly polls, Congress emerged victorious, securing 136 seats out of the 224-member Assembly. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 65 seats, while the Janata Dal (Secular) secured 19 seats. Additionally, two independent candidates and parties such as Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha and Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha each won one seat in the elections.