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Congress leader DK Shivakumar was sworn in as a sole Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka on Saturday after the party registered an emphatic victory in the Assembly elections.
Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath of office and secrecy to Shivakumar at the swearing-in ceremony being held at Bengaluru's Kanteerava Stadium. Ahead of his swearing-in, Siddaramaiah was sworn in as the Chief Minister for the second time. Top brass of the Congress party including the Gandhi family members - Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, party's national president Mallikarjun Kharge were present on the occasion. The Chief Ministers of the Congress-ruled states including Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel attended the event. The party had also sent an invitation to numerous opposition parties and their leaders. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Deputy Tejashwi Yadav, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Farooq Abdullah were also present during the swearing-in ceremony. Other opposition leaders who were present include Sharad Pawar, and Kamal Haasan. Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan attended the swearing-in ceremony of the newly-elected Karnataka Government in Bengaluru. Ahead of the ceremony, Rahul Gandhi, Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah were seen holding each other's hands in the air as a show of strength and unity. DK Shivakumar will continue as the Karnataka Congress president till the end of parliamentary elections. Believed to be a mass leader, Shivakumar started his political journey at the young age of 18 when he joined NSUI, the student wing of Congress, and became its President for the Bangalore district unit at an early age (1981-83). Congress leader DK Shivakumar, who was announced to be sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, on Thursday said that there was nothing to be upset about and there is a "long way to go". "When people have given such a big mandate, we should definitely be happy and deliver and fulfil the promises. That is our main motto and agenda. "Why should I be upset? There is a long way to go," he said. He said, everything is well in the party and everyone will work together after the Congress decided on the posts after hectic deliberations following the party's emphatic win in the recent assembly elections in the State. "Everything is well and will be well. Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge said that we all have to work together and we accepted it," Shivakumar said. Earlier on May 18, Shivakumar moved a resolution to elect Siddaramaiah as a new CLP leader. All members endorsed it unanimously. The CLP meeting was held at the party office in Bengaluru after Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar returned from the national capital after days of deliberation for the chief ministerial face. Earlier, Congress leader Siddaramaiah was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka for the second time after the party's thumping victory in the Assembly elections. Congress bagged 135 seats in the May 10 elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly ousting the ruling BJP, which got 66 seats while the Janata Dal (Secular) secured 19 seats in the results declared on May 13. (ANI)
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