Today, MB Patil, KH Muniyappa, KJ George, Satish Jarkiholi, Ramalinga Reddy, and BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan also took their oaths. Patil and Parameshwara were considered potential candidates for chief minister during the standoff between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.

The first eight members of the Siddaramaiah-Shivakumar cabinet were approved on Friday following consultations in Delhi between the two leaders and party chief Kharge. They were chosen to ensure a diverse first cabinet for the new Karnataka government and the Congress, which received support from across commnity lines in the May 10 election.

ALSO READ :Opposition leaders Nitish, Stalin, Pawar attend Karnataka swearing-in.

Senior leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were present for the swearing-in, as was Mallikarjun Kharge. Shortly before the ceremony began, ANI released a dramatic photograph of Rahul Gandhi flanked by the incoming chief minister and deputy chief minister.

Sonia Gandhi, who is credited with breaking the Siddaramaiah-Shivakumar stalemate and convincing Shivakumar to assume a No. 2 position (for now), was absent.

The CM stand-off

In the days following the election results, Siddarmaiah and Shivakumar engaged in a vigorous contest for the position of chief minister. Both candidates were determined to win.

Shivakumar, regarded as the Congress’s troubleshooter, rejected two initial proposals to cede the top post to his rival, including the option to select six portfolios.

Conversations with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi ultimately contributed to his acceptance.

Opposition show of strength (and absentees)

The ceremony, held at Bengaluru’s Sri Kanteerava Stadium, was attended by a phalanx of opposition leaders, including Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav, the chief minister and deputy chief minister of Bihar, respectively; Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar; and ex-Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti.

MK Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, was also present, along with the leaders of all other Congress-ruled states – Bhupesh Baghel of Chhattisgarh, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu of Himachal Pradesh, and Ashok Gehlot of Rajasthan – and actor-politician Kamal Haasan.

Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party, Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, and K Chandrashekhar Rao, the chief minister of Telangana, were notable absentees from this mega display of strength by opposition parties ahead of the general election in 2024.

The leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi have been rumored to vie for the prime ministership in 2019, each as the head of a ‘third front’ – a coalition of non-Congress and non-BJP regional parties.

Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of Bengal, was also absent but sent a substitute.

Election results recap

The 2023 Karnataka Assembly election was a morale-boosting victory for the Congress ahead of the upcoming general election. The party won roughly 43 percent of the vote and 135 of the state’s 224 Assembly seats. The results significantly contradicted exit poll predictions of a close race and a possible hung Assembly; however, one local station was 100% accurate.

The BJP won only 66 seats, down from more than 100 in 2018, as it struggled to overcome anti-incumbency sentiment in a state notorious for voting out incumbents.

The Janata Dal (Secular), which senior leader and ex-chief minister HD Kumaraswamy anticipated would play a ‘kingmaker’ role in the anticipated close race, finished third.

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Siddaramaiah, the leader of the Congress party and another leading candidate for the position of chief minister, arrived in the nation’s capital on Monday.

Yesterday was Shivakumar’s birthday, but he remained in Bengaluru due to a gastrointestinal infection. Both he and Siddaramaiah were summoned to Delhi by the AICC’s senior leadership for a meeting. The Congress won 135 of Karnataka’s 224 legislative seats.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was apprised yesterday by the party’s central observers for Karnataka on the opinions of the newly elected MLAs. According to party sources, before announcing a definitive decision, Kharge will consult with Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

“The next Chief Minister of Karnataka will be announced within the next 24 hours,” they said.

Sunday evening in Bengaluru, the Congress legislative party ratified a one-line resolution empowering Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge to select the head of the legislative party.

Shivakumar stated on Monday that all MLAs are gathered and that the decision regarding the chief minister will be made by the party’s senior command.

Shivakumar told media, “The party leadership will make a decision. I do not wish to comment or speak further. Whatever I had to say, I have already said. I do not desire (the support of) MLAs; that is unimportant to me. Ours is a division of Congress. One additional ally brings the total to 135. We are all one and will cooperate”.

Siddaramaiah conferred with the top leadership of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) at the Lodhi Hotel in Delhi late on Monday evening.

Siddaramaiah, who served as Karnataka’s chief minister from 2013 to 2018, remained silent about the meeting and did not interact with the reporters.

DK Suresh, brother of DK Shivakumar, arrived in Delhi on Monday evening and conferred with AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge at Kharge’s home.

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“I have met the head of the AICC. I encounter him whenever I visit Delhi. I met him the same way I did today. Our AICC general secretaries will inform you about additional matters, Suresh told reporters.

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While the Congress mocked the BJP for its “delay” in releasing its list of candidates, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai retorted that the opposition party in the state lacked candidates on a number of seats and borrowed them from other parties.

The two parties also disagreed over the Karnataka government’s decision to remove religious minorities from the backward classes list, which granted them 4% reservation, and place them under the 10% quota for economically disadvantaged sections.

Bommai stated that the central leadership of the BJP will determine the candidates, while the state unit will recommend a list of names.

“There will be a meeting on the 8th and 9th of April, and it appears that tickets will be distributed on the 10th.” The selection of tickets is proceeding in accordance with the regulations. We held three consecutive days of meetings and solicited the opinions of party workers, leaders, and citizens. We’ll examine the final list once we’ve cleared three names (for each constituency),” he said.

He also responded to Congress leader DK Shivakumar’s statement that they will reverse the BJP government’s decision regarding religious minority reservations in the list of backward classes.

Bommai stated, “They cannot touch it; let’s see what they can do.”

Congress leader Siddaramaiah, who is viewed as a potential candidate for chief minister if the party wins the election, stated that the party hopes to win at least 130 of 224 seats.

He stated that this election will be his last and he will retire from electoral politics.

Siddaramaiah stated that his relationship with the president of the Karnataka Congress, DK Shivakumar, is cordial.

“I am running for the Varuna assembly constituency because my hometown falls within its boundaries. This election will be my final one. I plan to leave electoral politics. My relationship with DK Shivakumar, president of the Karnataka Congress, is cordial. No distinctions exist between us. Certainly, disparities exist in a democracy, but they are not detrimental to the party.”

This time, we anticipate more than 130 seats, and the Congress Party will assume authority with a comfortable majority. “The people have chosen to change the government,” he continued.

Siddaramaiah lashed out at the Chief Minister and the governing BJP.

“BJP is a religious organization. Our party is secular. There cannot be any inequality among Karnataka’s citizens. I treat all human beings equally, regardless of their Hindu, Muslim, Christian, or other community or religion affiliation, he told media.

“Basavaraj Bommai failed miserably to safeguard Kannadigas’ interests. “Modi and Shah are coming to Karnataka to garner votes and claim it’s a double-engine government, but the Maharashtra government is blatantly interfering with the autonomy of the state,” he said.

He also criticized the BJP for its stance on reservations.

“Reclassification (of reservations) is improper and unconstitutional. It is not valid… We have no objection to increasing Vokkaliga and Lingayat reservations, but why you eliminated Muslim reservations is beyond us. It obviously demonstrates political vengeance and animosity, said the Congress leader.

Siddaramaiah, a former chief minister, announced his candidacy from the Varuna assembly constituency, which has been approved by the party’s central leadership.

“I’m not interested in running, but the people of Kolar want me to run from there,” he said.

Congress and Janata Dal-Secular have announced 166 and 93 candidates for Karnataka elections, respectively.

DK Shivakumar criticized the BJP by stating that while the Congress has published two lists of candidates for assembly elections in the state, the BJP has been unable to “release even its first list.”He added that if the Congress forms a government in Karnataka, it will reverse the BJP’s decision to remove religious minorities from the list of neglected classes, under which they received 4% reservation.

“To date, the Congress party has released two candidate lists, and discussions are currently underway regarding a third list. As soon as possible, Congress will also release the third list.” However, the BJP has been unable to publish even its first list,” Shivakumar told the media here.

Shivakumar also took potshots at AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi.”I do not wish to elaborate on this topic. Asaduddin Owaisi is comparable to the BJP’s A, B, and C teams. The people of Karnataka are exceptionally intelligent, and the Congress will form the government, said Shivakumar.

Thursday, the Congress released its second list of 42 candidates for the Karnataka elections. No decision has yet been made regarding who will run from Kolar.

“The BJP administration removed four percent of minority reservation, which is illegal, and the minority (community) will support the Congress party. After the formation of a Congress government, we will safeguard the rights of minorities and alter the reservation policy, said Shivakumar.

The Karnataka administration led by the BJP has decided to remove religious minorities from the list of backward classes and redistribute the 4% quota. It was stated that minorities will receive reservations under the 10% quota for economically disadvantaged groups.

The Karnataka BJP also struck back at Shivakumar. “DK Shivakumar clarified that the Okkaliga, Veerashaiva-Lingayat, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes reservations will be canceled. For appeasement politics, INC Karnataka will be punished proportionately for these communities’ right to be uprooted, the party said in a tweet.

AICC-in-charge of Karnataka for the Congress, Randeep Surjewala, claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is “panic-stricken” because it has not released its first list of candidates for the Karnataka Assembly elections.

“Because Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is unwilling to run for re-election from his seat, and his ministers are unwilling to do so as well. Everyone is running from their chairs. Nobody wishes to run for office, so they rely on movie stars and rowdy sheeters…,” he claimed.

Minister of Health of Karnataka K Sudhakar stated that the BJP has always assured social justice when distributing election tickets.

“Let’s delay one additional day. The BJP has always provided ample opportunities for youth and women and upheld social justice. Above all else, we have always prioritized party employees. Therefore, the celebration differs from all parties held today,” he said.

He stated that Congress lacks clarity regarding its chief ministerial candidate for the impending election.

“I am seeing more Surjewala than Siddaramaiah and DK Shivkumar. Let them choose one expression; they cannot utter both. They (Congress) lack clarity regarding who will become the visage of the CM. We have clarity, a prime minister who will guide the government, and a capable, efficient chief minister in Basavaraj Bommai, who is also the chairperson of the campaign committee, said Sudhakar.

In the meantime, Janata Dal-Secular has written to the Election Commission requesting that the show starring Kannada actor Kiccha Sudeep and advertisements featuring him be halted until the end of the elections. This is due to the fact that his films, advertisements, posters, etc. can influence votes, as he is currently recognized as the BJP’s leading campaigner.

“Mr. Sudeep, along with the Karnataka chief minister, holds a press conference, with invitations to all media sent on BJP letterhead.” He claims that he will do whatever CM says, is a member of a political party, and is therefore a politician. According to the law of the land, anyone with a political affiliation is prohibited from appearing on a public platform. We have therefore asked the EC to investigate Sudeep’s movies, OTT platforms, and advertisements…”: JD-S leader Tanveer Ahmed explained.

Sudhakar responded to the JD-S’s action.

“It makes no difference if they broadcast it on television or not. Kichcha Sudeep is a tremendously popular actor; if he supports our people in a campaign, we will receive tremendous support from our cadre, and he will also win us ballots and seats.

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Assembly elections in Karnataka will be conducted in a single phase on May 10, with vote counting scheduled for May 13.

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“Rahul Gandhi will return to Kolar and begin his Satyameva Jayate Rally. We had requested that he begin his election yatra from here. Where he made this statement, which was condemned by the BJP, he will begin his mega rally,” said state party chief DK Shivakumar.

At a rally in Kolar ahead of the 2019 elections, Mr. Gandhi had asked, “Why do all thieves share the surname Modi?” in an apparent jab at the Prime Minister, referring to fugitive businessmen Lalit Modi and Nirav Modi.

However, the BJP viewed this as an insult to Other Backward Classes, and Purnesh Modi, a party leader from Gujarat, submitted a lawsuit in response.Mr. Gandhi declined to apologize for his remark. He was disqualified from the Lok Sabha on Friday, prompting an outcry from the opposition.

The leaders of 18 opposition parties have criticized the government, a development that the Congress sees as a “silver lining” and a catalyst for opposition unity ahead of the general election next year.The Election Commission announced the election date for Karnataka earlier today, where the governing BJP is seeking a second consecutive term in office.

A year after forming a coalition government with HD Kumaraswamy’s Janata Dal Secular in Karnataka in 2018, the Congress lost power. The collapse of the alliance government was precipitated by the defection of a number of MLAs.The two parties blamed the BJP for the collapse of the government.

This time around, the Congress is again running alone. When asked if the party would form a post-election alliance with Mr. Kumaraswamy’s JDS in the event of a divided assembly, DK Shivakumar told , “There will be a single largest party.”

Also Read | Karnataka Assembly Election: Voting on 10 May, counting on 13 May

K Srinivasa Gowda, a senior member of Mr. Kumarasamy’s party, is the incumbent MLA for Kolar. When asked if senior party leader Siddaramaiah will run in Kolar as his second constituency, Mr. Shivakumar stated that the former chief minister had only applied for one seat. The second district may be determined by the Election Committee of the party.

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The announcement comes amid a high-stakes political battle between the ruling BJP, the opposition Congress and Janata Dal-Secular, and the opposition Congress and Janata Dal-Secular. (JD-S). The BJP, under the leadership of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, expects to retain power in the state despite allegations of corruption and communal polarization. Additionally, the election will test the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party’s national and state policies.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar stated at a news conference that the elections were scheduled for a Wednesday, as opposed to a Monday or Friday, to encourage greater voter participation and discourage them from departing town for a long weekend vacation.

In May 2018, Karnataka held its most recent assembly election, which resulted in a divided assembly. With 104 seats, the BJP emerged as the largest party, but fell short of a majority. The Congress and JD-S formed a post-election coalition with 80 and 37 seats, respectively, and Mr. Kumaraswamy was appointed chief minister.

However, in July of 2019, the coalition fell apart after a number of MLAs quit their parties to join the BJP. The BJP then established a government led by BS Yediyurappa. He resigned in July 2021, and Mr. Bommai took his place. The ruling BJP has 121 MLAs in the Karnataka assembly, while the opposition Congress has 70 and its ally JD(S) has 30.

The BJP has been attempting to consolidate its support among the state’s dominant Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities, which account for approximately 40 percent of the state’s population. The party has recently increased the reservation for these communities in education and government employment, while eliminating the 4% reservation for Muslims that was implemented by the previous Congress administration.

On the other hand, the Congress has accused the BJP of engaging in communal politics and corruption. If elected, the party has pledged to provide unemployed graduates with 3,000 per month for two years. Additionally, the party has been attempting to appeal to the backward classes, minorities, and Dalits, who make up a significant portion of the electorate.

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In Karnataka politics, the JD-S has played the role of kingmaker. The party has maintained an equidistant position from both the BJP and the Congress, keeping its post-election alliance options open. The party has also prioritized its fundamental issues, which are the welfare of farmers and regional development.

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Siddaramaiah is returning to his home turf of Varuna in the Mysuru district, which is presently represented by his son, Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah, while Shivakumar continues to run from Kanakapura. Yathindra does not appear in any other category on the initial roster of 124 candidates.

Siddaramaiah, who presently represents Badami in Bagalkote district, had previously announced that he would be running from Kolar, but changed his mind after party leadership reportedly warned him about the “risks” of running from that location. On Friday, while affirming his candidacy from Varuna, the former chief minister indicated his intention to contest from two seats; however, the second seat was not included in the initial list of candidates.

The candidates for the two seats that Siddaramaiah appears to have targeted, Kolar and Badami, have not been announced. The principal opposition party in the current Assembly, which seeks to oust the BJP from power, has announced candidates for 124 seats. There are yet to be finalized names for exactly 100 additional seats. There are a total of 224 Assembly constituencies in Karnataka. Congress has set a goal of capturing at least 150 of the 224 seats in the House of Representatives.

In the coming days, the Election Commission of India is anticipated to announce the election schedule. The majority of the districts on the first list are held by incumbent MLAs and constituencies for which the state unit recommended a single candidate.

Intriguingly, veteran Congress leader K H Muniyappa, the seven-time MP and former Union Minister, has returned to state politics and has been fielded by the party from Devanahalli, while his daughter and the incumbent MLA from KGF, Roopakala M, has received the nomination from the same constituency. Shamanur Shivashankarappa, a 91-year-old veteran representative, has been re-elected from Davanagere South, as has his son, S S Mallikarjun, from Davanagere North.

Among senior party leaders who have got the tickets include G Parameshwara-Koratagere, R V Deshpande – Haliyal, H K Patil – Gadag, M B Batil (campaign committee chief) – Babaleswar, Priyank Kharge (AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge’s son) – Chitapur, K R Rameshkumar (former Speaker) – Srinivaspur, Eshwar Khandre (Working President) – Bhalki, Satish Laxmanrao Jarkiholi (Working President) – Yemkanmardi, K J George – Sarvagnanagar, Dinesh Gundu Rao – Gandhi Nagar.

On the first roster are eight Muslim candidates. They are – U. T. Abdul Khader Ali Fareed (Mangalore), Tanveer Sait (Narasimharaja), N.A. Haris (Shanti Nagar), Rizwan Arshad (Shivajinagar), Rahim Khan (Bidar), Iqbal Hussain H A (Ramanagaram), B. Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan (Chamrajpet), and Kaneez Fatima (Gulbarga Uttar).

Also Read | Karnataka assembly elections: Congress announces first list of 124 candidates

Six women have made it to the first list – Kaneez Fatima, Laxmi Ravindra Hebbalkar (Belgaum Rural), Dr. Anjali Nimbalkar (Khanapur), Roopakala M (KGF), Kusuma H (Rajarajeshwarinagar), Sowmya R (Jayanagar). Intriguingly, the Congress has not finalized a candidate for Channapatna, where former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy is running, or Shiggaavi, where BJP is likely to field incumbent Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

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