Top opposition-leaders to attend Kumaraswamy swearing-in as Karnataka CM today
What's the story
A JD(S)-Congress coalition government headed by HD Kumaraswamy will be sworn-in later today in Karnataka at a ceremony to be attended by a galaxy of opposition leaders.
It will be Kumaraswamy's second term in office. He had earlier headed the JD(S)-BJP coalition government for 20 months, between February 2006 and October 2007.
Karnataka Congress president G Parameshwara will be sworn-in as Deputy Chief Minister.
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Congress's Ramesh Kumar will be the next Assembly speaker
Congress's Ramesh Kumar will be the next Assembly speaker, while the deputy speaker's post will go to JD(S). Congress would have 22 ministers and JD(S) 12; they would be sworn-in after the floor test slated for Friday, said KC Venugopal, AICC General-Secretary in-charge of Karnataka.
Confidence vote
Kumaraswamy will seek a confidence vote on Friday
Officials had earlier said Kumaraswamy will seek a confidence vote on Thursday. The decision to defer the trust vote by a day ostensibly stems from rules that require the election of the speaker before the exercise.
The Supreme Court had made an exception when it directed state BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa to prove majority with the pro-tem speaker presiding over the proceedings.
Second CM
The second CM to take oath within a week
Kumaraswamy will be the second Chief Minister to take oath in Karnataka within a week, after Yeddyurappa stepped down without facing the floor test on May 19 in the face of an imminent defeat.
The JD(S) Chief Minister-designate said portfolio distribution would be discussed on Friday and a coordination committee would be formed to facilitate smooth functioning of the coalition.
Attendees
Who will attend the oath ceremony?
Reportedly, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, his mother Sonia Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan are among those likely to be present at the swearing-in ceremony.
Others include CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, Tejashwi Yadav, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, BSP chief Mayawati, and SP leader Akhilesh Yadav.
Challenge
Kumaraswamy's first task would be smooth expansion of Council-of-Ministers
The first task for HD Kumaraswamy would be a smooth expansion of his Council of Ministers, as the Congress would want to have a big share in the ministerial pie as it has more than double the number of MLAs the JD(S) has.
The Congress has 78 lawmakers in the Lower House against the 37 of the JD(S).
Deputy CM
Dalit leader G Parameshwara to take oath as Deputy CM
A section of Lingayat MLAs of Congress wanted a person from their community to be the Deputy Chief Minister as Kumaraswamy belongs to another politically influential caste, the Vokkaligas.
However, Rahul Gandhi approved the name of Dalit leader G Parameshwara for the post.
DK Shivakumar, another Vokkaliga leader of the Congress was also a contender for the Deputy CM, but high-command opted for Parameshwara.
Single largest party
BJP is the single-largest party in Karnataka with 104 MLAs
The BJP, which is the single largest party with 104 MLAs, would not allow Kumaraswamy to have a smooth running.
The BJP has dubbed the Congress-JD(S) alliance as "unholy" and claimed that the government will not complete its full term.
The saffron party has decided to boycott today's oath-taking ceremony and will observe "anti-popular mandate day" to protest the formation of the coalition government.