Elaborate arrangements have been made for the swearing in of the new Chief Minister at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Monday. As per the plan, Mr. Siddaramaiah will be administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor H.R. Bhardwaj at the stadium at 11.40 a.m. on Monday.
He will assume charge in the presence of AICC general secretary in charge of State Madhusudan Mistri.
Union Ministers from the State, M. Mallikarjun Kharge, M. Veerappa Moily, K. Rahman Khan and K.H. Muniyappa, apart from AICC general secretaries Oscar Fernandes and B.K. Hariprasad are likely to attend the programme.
Unlike previous occasions when such ceremonies were held either in the Raj Bhavan or in front of the Vidhana Soudha, the venue has been shifted to Sree Kanteerava Stadium this time. This is because scores of people from Varuna Assembly constituency, from where Mr. Siddaramaiah has been elected, and surrounding areas of Mysore are likely to attend the event. Party sources said more than 50,000 people may attend the ceremony.
Soon after the swearing in, Mr. Siddaramaiah and KPCC president G. Parameshwara will leave for Delhi to discuss the Cabinet formation with the party high command. Sources said the process of forming the Cabinet is likely to be completed by May 16 or May 17.
Uphill task
Mr. Siddaramaiah has an uphill task ahead. While the selection of the Chief Minister was a smooth affair for the Congress, the task of forming the Cabinet is likely to be mind-boggling, party sources said.
This is because there are more than 60 aspirants in the party who are vying for the 33 ministerial berths.
Even as the aspirants intensified lobbying, sources said the party high command’s intention was to ensure that all factions get appropriate representation in the new government, especially in the wake of the 2014 parliamentary elections.
Sources said Mr. Siddaramaiah had been asked to shortlist the candidates in consultation with KPCC president G. Parameshwara.
“After discussing the issue with the high command on Monday, the two leaders would together shortlist the candidates. It is likely that the names would be announced in two lists, and the first list is likely to accommodate all the senior MLAs. Dr. Parameshwara is likely to be made an MLC and accommodated in the Cabinet,” sources said.
The former Ministers such as Shamanur Shivashankarappa, H.K. Patil, D. K. Shivakumar, R.V. Deshpande, A.B. Maalakaraddy and Kagodu Thimmappa are likely to figure in the first list.
This apart, the former Union Ministers V. Srinivas Prasad, Siddu Nyamagouda and M.H. Ambareesh, who have also been elected to the Assembly, are also likely to get due representation, sources said.
MLAs such as Krishna Byre Gowda, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Anil Lad, Santosh Lad, M. Krishnappa, apart from R. Roshan Baig, Mallikaya Guttedar and H.S. Mahadeva Prasad are also in the probables’ list, sources added.
