Karnataka CM Swearing-In Ceremony: TN CM Stalin To Leave For Bengaluru Tonight

Karnataka CM Swearing-In Ceremony: Stalin is set to leave by a private carrier on Friday evening, the sources

Mallikarjun Kharge and Siddaramaiah invited Stalin to the ceremony on Thursday

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin is scheduled to leave for Bengaluru to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Siddaramaiah as the Karnataka Chief Minister on Friday.

On May 18, Stalin, who was invited by Siddaramaiah and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge to attend the ceremony, is set to leave by a private carrier on Friday evening, the sources told PTI. Department of Information & Public Relations (DIPR) said, "Indian National Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Karnataka CM designate Siddaramaiah in a phone call invited Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin for swearing-in ceremony which is scheduled on May 20."

The move to invite Stalin came after Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said that the Congress has decided to invite leaders of like-minded parties to take part in the swearing-in ceremony of the newly-elected Karnataka cabinet.

Siddaramaiah will take oath as the Chief Minister on May 20 (Saturday) in Bengaluru. Along with the CM, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar is also set to take oath during the ceremony.  The party is also likely to induct 10-12 ministers into the cabinet, as per a report on Times of India. However, the names of the Ministers are yet to be finalised. 

In the May 10 elections, the Congress scored an emphatic victory by bagging 135 seats, while the BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) secured 66 and 19 seats respectively of the 224-member Karnataka Assembly seats. 

Meanwhile, Karnataka CM designate Siddaramaiah said that they (Siddaramaiah and Sivakumar) will remain united to protect the interest of the people. On the other hand, Deputy CM designate DK Shivakumar said that the government will implement all the guarantee schemes promised on the first day itself. He said, Rahul Gandhi has announced a scheme, Priyanka Gandhi has announced Gruhalaxmi scheme and we (Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar) have announced other schemes.