Karnataka govt sworn in; Cong gets CM, JD(S) deputy

The impasse over government formation in Karnataka ended today with the establishment of the first-ever coalition government in the state. Congress leader Dharam Singh was sworn in as Chief Minister and the JD(S) leader Siddaramaiah as the Deputy Chief Minister.
The Congress-led coalition government is similar to the Maharashtra model in which the chief minister is from the party having more members.
The swearing-in ceremony was held at the Raj Bhavan amid chaos, with several hundreds of jubilant workers of both the Congress and the JD(S) jostling to have a glimpse of their leaders. The oath was administered by Governor T.N. Chaturvedi.
While Dharam Singh is the 17th chief minister of the state, Siddaramaiah is the fourth deputy CM. At a joint press conference, Singh and Siddaramaiah said it became inevitable for their parties to set aside their political differences and form a coalition government to prevent the ‘‘communal forces’’ from grabbing power in the state.
Siddaramaiah said ‘‘we are not for power’’ but the political compulsions in the wake of the communal forces growing beyond expectations forced the two secular forces to form a coalition government. ‘‘We have agreed to the Maharashtra model of government in Karnataka with no compromise on our party’s ideologies and principles,’’ Siddaramaiah added.
The CM said a coordination committee of the coalition partners would be set up soon to draft the common minimum programme (CMP), and a full-fledged Cabinet would be formed shortly after discussions with senior leaders of both parties. Singh stated that the new government would strive to ensure social justice as done by the late chief minister, D. Devaraj Urs. ‘‘We are aware of the problems of the people, especially those of the farmers, and we know where we have erred,’’ Singh said, and expressed confidence that leaders of both parties would work together and ensure that the programmes of the new government reached the beneficiaries.
Asked if he would induct ‘‘tainted ministers’’ of the outgoing S.M. Krishna Cabinet against whom the JD(S) had expressed reservations, Singh said there was no need to speculate on the ministry expansion as it would be done in consultation with the leaders of both parties.