Kumaraswamy sworn in; floor test tomorrow

H.D. Kumaraswamy was sworn in as the 30th Chief Minister of Karnataka on a rainy Wednesday evening, with a galaxy of national and regional leaders in attendance in a show of non-BJP opposition unity ahead of Lok Sabha polls. G. Parameshwara, who is to be the Deputy Chief Minister, was also sworn in on the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha.

The stage is now set for a floor test of the JDS-Congress coalition government on May 25. Leaders who attended the event included the former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and current president Rahul Gandhi; West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee; Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan; Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu; Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal; BSP leader Mayawati; SP leader Akhilesh Yadav; CPI leader D. Raja, and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, among others.

Later in the day, they had an informal meeting with JD(S) national president H.D. Deve Gowda, who oversaw the coming together of these leaders. This is the first coming together of all these regional party leaders, alongside the Congress and the Left.

Speaking at a press conference soon after the swearing in, Mr. Kumaraswamy said, “The formation of this government marks a new beginning in the national political scenario ahead of 2019.”

He described himself as a “child of circumstances” who had become the Chief Minister of a State in a larger national context of the need to “rein in the Ashwamedha horse” let loose by the BJP.

He promised a stable government for five years and said the alliance would set a model for others to follow.

“The onus is now on me to live up to their [the leaders assembled] expectations and provide a concrete base for future coalition of anti-BJP forces in the days to come,” said Mr. Kumaraswamy, adding that there was a need to set aside personal aspirations for the greater cause of protecting the country from communal forces.