New Delhi | A day before the swearing-in ceremony in Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister-designate Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday met Rahul-Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and invited them for the ceremony.
Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar reached Delhi on Friday afternoon to meet senior party leaders and invite them to the swearing-in ceremony to be held in Bengaluru on Saturday.
After the meeting with the two Karnataka leaders, Rahul Gandhi wrote on Facebook, “Our focus is on fulfilling the 5 guarantees and building a better future for the people of Karnataka.” He shared his pictures with Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar and Priyanka Gandhi.
The two leaders were also scheduled to meet party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to invite them to the swearing-in ceremony and discuss cabinet formation in the southern state.
However, party general secretary KC Venugopal and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala met Kharge at his residence.
After this Surjewala and Venugopal left the Congress President’s residence. Soon after, Venugopal accompanied Surjewala to his residence, joined by Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. Siddaramaiah also visited Saravana Bhawan in Connaught Place.
According to party sources, party leaders are discussing the cabinet ministers and their numbers. The source said the party may decide on the number of cabinet ministers by night.
Talking to the media here, Kharge’s son Priyank Kharge said that the nominated CM and Deputy CM have come to take a final decision on the Council of Ministers. He said that after talking to the general secretary in charge, the final list would reach the Congress president.
Taking a jibe at the BJP, the Congress MLA said that the BJP should think about why they lost the elections and how much division is there in their party. The people of Karnataka have voted for development.
In Karnataka, the Congress won 135 of the southern state’s 224 seats, while the ruling BJP was reduced to 66 seats. JD-S which was hoping to play the role of ‘kingmaker’ in the state won only 19 seats.
