After much suspense, Siddaramaiah was sworn in as the chief minister of Karnataka for the second term on Saturday along with Congress President D.K. Shivakumar as deputy chief minister. Eight newly-elected legislators also took oath as ministers.
The oath of office was administered by Karnataka governor Thaawarchand Gehlot at Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. It was the same venue, where Siddaramaiah took oath as CM in 2013.
"Congress's victory is the victory of six crore people of Karnataka. Our party is in power today because of the blessings of people. The Congress campaign started with Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra...All five guarantees will be given approval in today's cabinet meeting," said Siddaramaiah.
Meanwhile, several top Opposition leaders and chief ministers of Congress-ruled states attended the swearing-in ceremony. Top Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi attended the event, while former Congress President Sonia Gandhi was absent.
While addressing the gathering Rahul Gandhi thanked the people of Karnataka for extending their support to Congress. “We both know what you endured in the last 5 years. The Congress victory is because the party stood with the poor, dalit, and backward classes...Hatred was defeated and love triumphed,” said Rahul.
AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge said that the first cabinet meeting will approve all five promises. In the past too we have delivered what we have promised unlike BJP, he added.
Among the Opposition leaders, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, Tamil Nadu CM M. K. Stalin, Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury and MNM chief Kamal Haasan attended the swearing-in ceremony.
Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, former Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, and Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu also attended the ceremony.
