Guv Gehlot invites Siddaramaiah to take oath as K'taka CM on May 20

BENGALURU: Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Thursday invited Chief Minister-designate Siddaramaiah to take oath on Saturday. DK Shivakumar will also take oath along with team members.

Shivakumar, who will be the only Deputy Chief Minister. The oath ceremony will take place at 12.30 pm on May 20 in Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru. A Congress delegation, including Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, met Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot at Raj Bhavan to stake claim to form the government.

Earlier today, Siddaramaiah was elected unanimously as the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader in Karnataka. Congress leaders RV Deshpande, HK Patil, MB Patil and Lakshmi Hebbalkar proposed Siddaramaiah's name. Shivakumar moves a resolution to elect Siddaramaiah as a new CLP leader.

All members endorsed it unanimously. The CLP meeting was held at the party office in Bengaluru after Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar returned from the national capital after days of deliberation for the chief ministerial face.

Congress officially announced the name of the chief ministerial face today. Earlier today, Siddaramaiah spoke to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot over the phone and will stake claim to form the government today evening, sources said. The Raj Bhavan sources said the swearing-in ceremony will take place on May 20 at 12.30 pm in Bengaluru, for which Congress MLA G Parameshwara went to Raj Bhavan as a representative of the party and met the Governor.

"Karnataka CM-designate Siddaramaiah spoke with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot over the phone. Siddaramaiah wished him on his birthday and discussed the date for the swearing-in ceremony. The ceremony will be held on May 20 at 12.30 pm. Siddaramaiah today evening will stake the claim to form the Government," sources told ANI.

"Congress MLA G Parameshwara went to Raj Bhavan as a representative of the Congress Party and met Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and gave information about the formation of the government by the Congress Party which has won victory in 135 seats in the 2023 elections," they added.

A Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting will be held in Bengaluru today at 7 pm. After days of deliberation, Congress on Thursday announced that party leader Siddaramaiah will be the next Karnataka Chief Minister and DK Shivakumar will be Deputy Chief Minister. Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal made the announcement at the party headquarters in the national capital. He said Shivakumar will continue as state Congress chief till the Lok Sabha polls.

He will be the only Deputy chief minister. "DK Shivakumar will continue as the PCC president till the end of parliamentary elections. CM, Deputy CM and a group of ministers will be sworn in on May 20," Venugopal said. The decision on the next Karnataka Chief Minister came following days of hectic parleys in Delhi after the newly-elected MLAs authorized party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to choose their leader.

Both Siddaramaiah, a former Chief Minister, and Shivakumar staked their claims to be chief minister. The party leadership held a series of meetings over the past several days and numerous formulas were mooted before a decision was arrived.

Congress bagged 135 seats in the May 10 elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly ousting the ruling BJP, which got 66 seats while the Janata Dal (Secular) secured 19 seats.