Siddaramaiah, the designated chief minister of Karnataka, and D.K. Shivakumar, the designated deputy chief minister, is expected to take the oath of office at Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru at 12.30 pm on Saturday. They have met with the partys top leadership in Delhi to discuss the composition of the state cabinet, and they have chosen potential ministers and their respective portfolios.The Siddaramaiah cabinetEight parliamentarians are expected to be sworn in as ministers alongside Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, according to INC sources. G. Parameshwara (SC), K.H. Muniyappa (SC), K.J. George (Minority-Christian), M.B. Patil (Lingayat), Satish Jarkiholi (ST-Valmiki), Ramalinga Reddy (Reddy), and BZ. Zameer Ahmed Khan (Minority-Muslim) is among the potential ministers representing different social and cultural sections of society.Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, accompanied by General Secretary Randeep Surjewala, held a series of meetings in the national capital to discuss cabinet formation. Siddaramaiah met behind closed doors with AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, and subsequently, Shivakumar joined them to discuss probable cabinet nominees. Cabinet discussions lasted late into the night, with both central and state authorities attempting to create a balance among diverse sectors, groups, communities, and regions while satisfying everyones interests. Former Karnataka Congress chairman G. Parameshwara, Lingayat leader M.B. Patil, and senior Congressman K.J. George are among those being considered for a ministerial seat.Image: TwitterThe new cabinet is expected to include representatives from every part of Karnataka and diverse sections, including SCs, STs, OBCs, minorities, women, youth, Lingayats, and Vokkaliga, the states two largest populations. D K Shivakumar is a member of the Vokkaliga community. Following their discussions, Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar, Surjewala, and Venugopal spent nearly an hour and a half with Rahul Gandhi at 10 Janpath. They also invited Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to the swearing-in event. The new cabinet will have roughly 20 ministers, and the team of ministers is also likely to take the oath today. The Karnataka Cabinet is otherwise authorised to have 34 members.#WATCH | Supporters of Karnataka CM-designate Siddaramaiah sing songs and distribute sweets outside his residence in Bengaluru, ahead of his swearing-in ceremony. pic.twitter.com/szIaH7ENsh— ANI (@ANI) May 20, 2023Who all will attend the ceremonyA number of national leaders have been invited to the ceremony, and their presence is expected. Shivakumar also offered invites to BJP and JD(S) leaders, viewing them as part of the governments machinery and public representatives. With the attendance of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, and several other leaders from the non-BJP bloc, the swearing-in ceremony of Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister of Karnataka will be an exhibition of opposition solidarity. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, on the other hand, will not attend, though her party will be represented. According to sources, in addition to Nitish and Stalin, announced attendees include NCP chief Sharad Pawar and National Conference President Farooq Abdullah. M. Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress President, has also invited leaders from the JMM, RJD, Shiv Sena, SP, PDP, CPI(M), CPI, MDMK, RSP, CPI(ML), VCK, RLD, Kerala Congress, and IUML attend the event.Image: TwitterPromises to fulfilThe Congress has pledged to implement promises such as providing 200 units of free electricity to all families (Gruha Jyoti), Rs 2,000 monthly aid to the woman head of each household (Gruha Lakshmi), 10 kg of rice free to each member of below-poverty-line families (Anna Bhagya), monetary assistance for graduate and diploma holder young people (YuvaNidhi), as well as free travel for women in public transport buses (Shakti) on the first day of assuming power.
