New Delhi: Karnataka chief minister-designate Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar arrived here on Friday to discuss with the party’s high command the names of ministers to be inducted into the new cabinet and the allocation of portfolios.
They will also invite the party’s top brass for the swearing-in ceremony on Saturday.
A meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) on Thursday formally elected Siddaramaiah as its leader, following which he staked claim with the Governor, who invited him to form the government.
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar would take oath as the chief minister and deputy chief minister respectively along with a few ministers at 12.30 pm on Saturday at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
“We want to invite our leaders, we want to invite Rahul ji, Sonia ji, Kharge ji and Priyanka ji for the ceremony. They gave their sweat, direction (to the campaign), so I wanted to invite them personally. Later, we are discussing the cabinet formation,” Shivakumar told reporters after arriving here.
Asked how many Opposition leaders would attend the swearing-in, Shivakumar said, “That we have requested our AICC president to take care of, for us, first is the Congress president and the Gandhi family, we are here to invite them personally.” He asserted that the promises made by leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi to the people of Karnataka will be fulfilled in the first Cabinet meeting.
The two leaders had arrived to a grand welcome in Bengaluru after the Congress announced on Thursday morning that Siddaramaiah would be the chief minister and Shivakumar his deputy following hectic parleys over three days.
Earlier, before leaving for Delhi, Shivakumar said fulfilling the promises made to the people is the first priority.
“Cabinet, people, all those things we will let you know later, we will not do anything leaving you (media), there is no need for any speculation. We will work unitedly,” he said.
PTI
Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar in Delhi to discuss Cabinet formation, allocation of portfolios
