Signalling a consolidation of opposition parties against the BJP ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls, a host of Chief Ministers of non-BJP ruled states and opposition party chiefs will be attending the swearing-in ceremony of HD Kumaraswamy in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday announced that he will attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Chief Minister propped up by the Congress and JD(S) coalition government. Rahul will attend the event along with his mother Sonia Gandhi.
"I had a warm and cordial meeting this evening, in Delhi, with HD Kumaraswamy. We discussed the political situation in Karnataka and other matters of mutual interest. I will be attending his swearing in as Chief Minister of Karnataka on Wednesday in Bengaluru," Rahul tweeted.
Other than Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Chief Minister of Delhi and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, WB CM Mamata Banerjee, Former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati (coalition partner of the JD(S)) and Tejaswi Yadav, son of Lalu Prasad Yadav will attend the event.
From Tamil Nadu, opposition leader and DMK’s working president MK Stalin and actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan among others will be attending the event.
Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao and his son KT Rama Rao, Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu will also be part of the guest list.
An aide close to Kejriwal told IANS that the Delhi Chief Minister had been invited by former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda.
A similar announcement was made by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’ office on Monday.
A delegation of top Congress leaders from Kerala is also expected to travel to Bengaluru for the swearing-in as several of them had campaigned for party candidates ahead of the May 12 Karnataka assembly elections.
Governor Vajubjai Vala invited the 58-year-old JD(S) legislative party leader on Saturday to form the coalition government after the fall of the three-day BJP government led by Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, who resigned even before the trust vote was conducted. He was forced to resign since his party was seven MLAs short of the halfway mark to prove simple majority in a house of 222 members.
According to the Chief Minister's Office, Kumaraswamy will take oath at 4.30 p.m. on Wednesday in front of the state Secretariat (Vidhan Soudha) in Bengaluru in the presence of national leaders and about a lakh people.
This is the second time that Kumaraswamy, the third son of JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and Chennamma, will take oath as Chief Minister, and 12 years after the JD(S) formed a coalition government with the BJP on February 4, 2006. He occupied the CM office for 20 months till October 9, 2007, during his earlier stint.
Unlike the low key swearing-in ceremony of BS Yeddyurappa at the glass house in Raj Bhavan, HD Kumaraswamy will be sworn-in at the footsteps of the Vidhana Soudha in a grand gala.
“I am expecting about 2 lakh people to arrive in Bengaluru from various parts of the state to witness the event,” the CM designate told reporters.
With IANS inputs