State Congress President DK Shivakumar took oath as Karnataka Chief Minister on Wednesday and 13 other legislators, including senior leader G Parameshwara, were also sworn in as ministers in his Cabinet. In the presence of AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge, top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and outgoing CM Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar took oath in the name of seer "Gangadhar Ajja", while holding a copy of the Constitution.
Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath of office and secrecy to Shivakumar, Parameshwara and others at Lok Bhavan here. Parameshwara, who is set to be designated as Deputy CM, took oath in the name of Dr B R Ambedkar.
Why did DK Shivakumar take oath facing East?
Amid these developments, an interesting update emerged regarding the swearing-in ceremony at Lok Bhavan. Traditionally, the stage within Lok Bhavan's 'Glass House' faces the west direction, however, DK Shivakumar wished to take his oath while facing east. Consequently, a stage was set up on the eastern side of the Glass House to accommodate this preference.
Sources indicated that DK Shivakumar—who places immense faith in astrology—is undertaking this step based on the advice of his astrologer.
Every CM till now taken oath facing west
Till date, every Chief Minister who has taken the oath at this venue has done so while facing west. Additionally, DK Shivakumar has invited 55 religious leaders representing the Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Jain, and Buddhist communities. Special seating arrangements, featuring sofas, were being made for them on the permanent stage located on the western side of the venue.
For the oath-taking event, DK Shivakumar himself had personally extended invitations to the Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states, as well as the majority of the party's senior leaders, in addition to Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi.
Sources within DK Shivakumar's camp stated that, following the swearing-in ceremony, he intends to travel from Lok Bhavan to the State Secretariat in an open jeep, thereby allowing his supporters gathered outside Lok Bhavan to catch a glimpse of him.
Along with Shivakumar and Parameshwara, the legislators, who took oath as ministers were -- K H Muniyappa, K J George, M B Patil, Ramalinga Reddy, Satish Jarkiholi, Krishna Byregowda, Priyank Kharge, U T Khader, Eshwar Khandre, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Byrathi Suresh, and Sharan Prakash Patil.
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http://DK Shivakumar takes oath as Karnataka's 18th CM, G Parameshwara sworn in as Deputy CM | Video
