Karnataka: Opposition parties unite on stage at Kumaraswamy swearing in

Bengaluru: India’s Opposition parties united on Wednesday -- at least, symbolically on the dais -- where JD(S)’ H D Kumaraswamy was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka.

Kumaraswamy will lead a JD(S)-Congress alliance this term with a Congress Deputy Chief Minister, G Parameshwara.

Kumaraswamy’s Cabinet will be sworn in on Friday, after he proves his majority in the Assembly tomorrow.

The new Cabinet will have 22 MLAs from the Congress and JD(S) will have 13, including the chief minister.

The alliance has 78 MLAs from the Congress and 38 from the JD(S).
The Opposition parties seized the opportunity on Wednesday to put up a united show at Kumaraswamy’s swearing-in, to send forth the message that an anti-BJP, anti-Modi front was coming into force.

Whether this unity will translate into a poll strategy for 2019 or even formulate a Common Minimum Programme remains to be seen.

From the ground, this was the scene: Everybody smiled at each other and shook hands. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati greeted Samajawadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. The arch rivals had teamed up before the important bypolls of Gorakhpur and Phulpur to defeat the BJP, and have another important test ahead – the bypoll in Kairana on May 28.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and her son, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi were seen greeting other leaders, including NCP chief Sharad Pawar who has openly said he will go with the Congress in the next Maharashtra Assembly polls.

Other prominent leaders present were relentless Modi-baiter and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPI(M) chief Sitaram Yechury.

Yechury vigorously shook hand with Mamata, irrespective of the fact that his party had chosen to support the Congress in the 2016 state polls against Mamata’s Trinamool and was resoundly crushed.

It is obvious that past rancour and bitterness are being firmly swept under the carpet, with one objective – to defeat the BJP in 2019.

Here is what happened in Karnataka today:

07:05 pm: I am going to waive-off farmers' loans: Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy in Bengaluru.

06:33 pm: Karnataka CM H D Kumaraswamy added, "Leaders who came from all over country wanted to give a message to the nation that we are one and in 2019 there will be a major change in political situation.They were not here to protect this government, this govt will be protected by local Congress leaders and our leaders."

06:14 pm: "This coalition government (Congress-JD(S)) will run better than any one party government and we will concentrate on working for the public. We have decided to work together for the betterment of the state," said Karnataka CM H D Kumaraswamy.

04:35 pm: Congress' G Parameshwara takes oath as Deputy Chief Minister.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

04:32 pm: JD(S)'s H D Kumaraswamy takes oath as Chief Minister of Karnataka, administered by Governor Vajubhai Vala.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

04:28 pm: Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi meet BSP chief Mayawati at Vidhana Soudha.

04:22 pm: Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah arrive at Vidhana Soudha.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

04:18 pm: H D Kumaraswamy arrives at Vidhana Soudha for his swearing-in ceremony as Karnataka CM.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

04:16 pm: Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and his wife Chennamma arrive at Vidhana Soudha.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

04:11 pm: Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati at Vidhana Soudha ahead of the swearing in ceremony.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

04:09 pm: People at Vidhana Soudha take shelter under tarpaulin as rain lashes Bengaluru ahead of H D Kumaraswamy and G Parameshwara's swearing in as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister respectively.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

03:50 pm: Preparations are going on in full swing at the Vidhan Souda ahead of Kumaraswamy's oath taking ceremony.

(Photo: Twitter/ANI)

03:10 pm: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu and CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury meet ahead of attending H D Kumaraswamy's swearing-in ceremony.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

02:27 pm: Heavy rain lashes parts of Bengaluru.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

02:09 pm: “No one is unhappy, we all are together. We are celebrating that our government is coming in power. I never said that I'm an aspirant of Karnataka Chief Minister post. All is well,” said Congress leader D K Shivakumar.

01:52 pm: CPI(M) chief Sitaram Yechury, NCP president Sharad Pawar and Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav arrive in Bengaluru to take part in Kumaraswamy's oath-taking ceremony.

01:24 pm: “We've come here to witness swearing in ceremony of H D Kumaraswamy and express our solidarity to him. In future we'll work together to protect and promote national interest. We're here to strengthen all regional parties,” said Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.

01:23 pm: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu arrives at Bengaluru.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

12:10 pm: BJP is observing 'Anti-People's Mandate Day' in Karnataka in view of the swearing-in ceremony of the Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress coalition government in the southern state.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

10:38 am: Karnataka Chief Minister designate H D Kumaraswamy said all the promises made will be kept.

09:38 am: “It's the high command which decides all this, they chose me. I thank them immensely but the point is they’re also eligible but they gave me this opportunity,” said G Parameshwara, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister designate, on being asked that Roshan Baig and D K Shivakumar were also in the race for deputy CM’s post.

Also Read: Kumaraswamy swearing-in ceremony today to be a show of opposition unity

09:34 am: Celebrations outside H D Kumaraswamy's residence in Bengaluru. Kumaraswamy will take oath as the Karnataka Chief Minister today.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)