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Siddaramaiah Sworn In As K’taka CM

By LokMarg 20th May 2023

Congress leader Siddaramaiah was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka for the second time on Saturday after the party’s thumping victory in the Assembly elections.

Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath of office and secrecy to Siddaramiah at the swearing-in ceremony held at the jam-packed Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
This is the same stadium where Siddaramaiah took oath in 2013 when he became Chief Minister for the first time.

Top brass of the Congress party including the Gandhi family members – Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, party’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge were present on the occasion.

The Chief Ministers of the Congress-ruled states including Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel attended the event.

The party had also sent an invitation to numerous opposition parties and their leaders.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Deputy Tejashwi Yadav, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Farooq Abdullah were also present during the swearing-in ceremony.

Other opposition leaders who were present include Sharad Pawar, Kamal Haasan.

Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan attends the swearing-in ceremony of the newly-elected Karnataka Government in Bengaluru.

Ahead of the ceremony, Rahul Gandhi, Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah were seen holding each other’s hands in air as a show of strength and unity.

The Congress supporters stood outside of Siddaramaiah’s residence early morning in anticipation and celebration. Posters featuring the Gandhi family, Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah were put up in Bengaluru earlier today.

A leader with strong grassroots connect, Siddaramaiah has been associated with the formulation of state budgets for several years and has an eye for detail.

Congress MLA Priyank Kharge, G Parameshwara and DK Suresh – party MP and brother of Deputy-CM designate DK Shivakumar were present at the Stadium.

The Congress leadership, which had to make a choice between him and state Congress chief DK Shivakumar for the post of Chief Minister following an emphatic win in the assembly polls earlier this month, apparently felt that the former Chief Minister’s wide administrative experience will come handy in implementing manifesto promises in view of their financial implication.

The CLP meeting was held at the party office in Bengaluru after Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar returned from the national capital after days of deliberation for the chief ministerial face.

Shivakumar moved a resolution to elect Siddaramaiah as a new CLP leader. All members endorsed it unanimously.

Siddaramaiah on Thursday was elected unanimously as the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader in Karnataka. Siddaramaiah met Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot staked a claim to form the government Thursday evening.

Karnataka has complex caste equations and a history of voting out incumbent governments. Only three Chief Ministers before Siddaramaiah – S Nijalingappa (1962 and 1967, three terms including 1956); D Devaraj Urs (1972 and 1978) and RK Hegde (1983 and 1985) had two terms as Chief Minister.

Siddaramaiah,74, launched several welfare schemes during his five-year tenure as Chief Minister from 2013 and it helped the Congress campaign during the assembly polls which had several people-oriented promises.

During his long political career, Siddaramaiah has lost elections but has bounced back due to his strong determination and his quest for “social justice”.

Siddaramaiah became the Finance Minister in the cabinet of then Karnataka Chief Minister HD Deve Gowda.

He won from Chamundeshwari in a bypoll. When assembly constituencies were reorganized in 2008, he entered the assembly from Varuna and was appointed leader of the opposition.

Congress won 135 seats in the 224-member Karnataka assembly pushing BJP to 66 seats in the results declared on May 13. (ANI)

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Will Implement Our Guarantee: K’taka Deputy CM Shivakumar

By LokMarg 19th May 2023

Ahead of his visit to the national capital, Karnataka Deputy CM-designate DK Shivakumar on Friday assured that Congress will fulfil “guarantees” made to the public in the party’s manifesto.

“We are going to implement our guarantee,” Karnataka Deputy CM-designate DK Shivakumar told ANI as he left his residence for Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru where the swearing-in ceremony will take place on May 20.
Congress on Thursday officially announced the name of the chief ministerial and deputy chief ministerial face, thus ending days of suspense. Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar were chosen to be chief ministers and deputy chief ministers respectively.

Both leaders are scheduled to visit the national capital today to discuss the names of MLAs to be inducted into the government. They had returned to Bengaluru yesterday to attend the Congress Legislative Party meeting, and staking claim to form government before the Governor.

The swearing-in ceremony will be held on May 20.

Parameshwara, a Dalit leader, was reportedly upset over the denial of deputy chief minister posts.

Speaking to ANI over the Dalit community’s demand for a Deputy CM post for G Parameshwara, Patil said, “Whoever voted – the Lingayats, the Dalits, the Vokkaligas, the STs, Muslims – all these people have to be given their due share. I am confident our party will do the same. They will give due respect to all these communities and the power will be shared with all communities.”

On being asked about the Lingayat community’s demand for a Deputy CM post for him, Patil said that he is confident that Congress will give due share to the community.

“…Lingayats contesting on BJP tickets have been rejected. So, naturally, when we have come towards Congress, the expectations are high. They want a due share. I am confident that our party will take care of it,” he said.

“…Why not? I would have been much happier if I got 50 seats,” said Patil when asked about the “tussle” arising out of Lingayat and Dalit communities’ demand for Deputy CM posts for G Parameshwara and him amid the thumping victory of the party in Karnataka elections.

On Friday, Karnataka Congress MLA G Parameshwara, who was reportedly upset over the denial of the deputy chief ministerial post, on Friday said that “sacrifice” has to be made at “some point”.

“That is okay. We all have to sacrifice at some point in time. It is a good thing happening,” G Parameshwara said when asked about him not being given the CM or Deputy CM post.

The Congress manifesto lists five main guarantees. “Gruha Jyoti: 200 units of free power to all households, Gruha Lakshmi: Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family, Anna Bhagya: 10 kg of rice free to every member of a BPL household; Yuva Nidhi scheme: diploma holders will get an allowance of Rs1,500 per month for two years, while graduates will receive Rs 3,000 per month and Shakti: Free bus rides for all women in the state”. (ANI)

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Siddaramaiah To Be Next Karnataka CM

By LokMarg 18th May 2023

After days of deliberation, Congress on Thursday announced that party leader Siddaramaiah will be the next Karnataka Chief Minister and DK Shivakumar will be Deputy Chief Minister.

Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal made the announcement at the party headquarters here.
He said Shivakumar will continue as state Congress chief till the Lok Sabha polls. He will be the only Deputy chief minister.

“DK Shivakumar will continue as the PCC president till the end of parliamentary elections. CM, Deputy CM and a group of ministers will be sworn in on May 20,” Venugopal said.

He gave the credit for the party’s emphatic victory in Karnataka to the people of the state and noted. Referring to Siaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, he said there is desire to be chief minister and “both of them deserve it also”.

“I would like to sincerely thank the people of Karnataka for the victory of the Congress and for standing by the party. Our president Khargeji, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and all the CMs campaigned extensively,” Venugopal said.

“We have a very good chunk of leaders there in our party in Karnataka. Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar are dynamic leaders and are an asset for the party. Definitely, everyone has a wish and desire of becoming Chief Minister and they deserve it also, both of them deserve it also,” he added.

AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, who is incharge of Karnataka, said Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra laid the foundation of the party’s campaign in the state.

A meeting of the Congress legislature party in Karnataka would be held on Thursday evening to formally elect Siddaramaiah as the legislature party leader.

Leaders of opposition parties are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony.

The decision on the next Karnataka Chief Minister came following days of hectic parleys in Delhi after the newly-elected MLAs authorised party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to choose their leader.

Both Siddaramaiah, a former Chief Minister, and Shivakumar staked their claims to be chief minister.

The party leadership held a series of meetings over the past four days and several formulas were mooted before a decision was arrived.

Congress bagged 135 seats in the May 10 elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly ousting the ruling BJP, which got 66 seats while the Janata Dal (Secular) secured 19 seats (ANI)

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K’taka CM: Shivakumar To Meet Kharge, Rahul Again Today

By LokMarg 17th May 2023

Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar and both met with party leader Rahul Gandhi in the national capital on Wednesday even as the party refrained from making any official announcement yet on who will be the next chief minister of Karnataka.

Earlier today Shivakumar met with Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge’s house after a long meeting. The KPCC chief did not answer media questions.
Shivakumar was seen arriving at the residence of his brother and party MP DK Suresh in the national capital today. He is set to meet with Kharge and Rahul Gandhi later this evening.

The official media handle of Congress shared pictures of Rahul Gandhi with both the leaders

Calling Gandhi a “jannayak” – leader of the people – the Congress tweeted, “Rahul Gandhi ji met DK Shivakumar ji and Siddaramaiah ji after the landslide victory in Karnataka.”

Earlier Congress’ Karnataka-in-charge Randeep Surjewala said that a decision on the next Karnataka chief minister will be announced today or tomorrow and a new cabinet will be in place within 72 hours.

Surjewala also dismissed speculative reports that Siddaramaiah was likely to be named the chief minister once again.

“Delibrations are currently underway by party president Mallikarjun Kharge. Whenever Congress makes a decision we will inform you. In the next 48-72 hours, we will have a new cabinet in Karnataka,” he told reporters.

The Congress leader said that consultations are still on and urged media to not report on speculation or heed to fake information.

Four days since Congress registered an emphatic victory in the Assembly polls by wresting power from the Bharatiya Janata Party, still, the State is yet to get a Chief Minister.

Meanwhile, supporters of Siddaramaiah were seen bursting firecrackers in Bengaluru.

Also, police officials were seen inspecting the Sri Kanteerava Outdoor Stadium in Bengaluru where the swearing-in ceremony of the new Karnataka government is likely to be held.

After registering an emphatic win in the Karnataka Assembly elections the Congress legislative party met late evening on Sunday in Bengaluru and passed a one-line resolution empowering Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge to pick the head of the legislative party.

The Congress had emerged as the single largest party in Karnataka after winning the May 10 assembly election. It won 135 seats in the 224-member Karnataka assembly. (ANI)

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K’taka CM: Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar In Delhi Today, Cong To Decide

By LokMarg 16th May 2023

Despite Congress’ clear mandate in the Karnataka assembly polls, suspense over chief minster continues with Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar, one of the two contenders to the post, scheduled to arrive in Delhi later on Tuesday ahead of an announcement by the party.

Congress leader Siddaramaiah, the other frontrunner for the chief minister’s post, had arrived in the national capital on Monday.
Shivakumar, who celebrated his birthday yesterday had stayed behind in Bengaluru citing a stomach infection. Both he and Siddaramaiah had been called to Delhi by the top leadership of the AICC for a discussion. The Congress won 135 seats in the 224-member Karnataka assembly.

The party’s central observers for Karnataka had yesterday briefed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on the views of the newly elected MLAs. According to party sources, Kharge will consult Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra before announcing a final decision.

“The name of the next Karnataka CM will be announced in the coming 24 hours,” they said.

The Congress legislative party had met late evening on Sunday in Bengaluru and passed a one-line resolution empowering Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge to pick the head of the legislative party.

On Monday, Shivakumar said that all the MLAs are together and the call on the chief minister will be taken by the party’s high command.

Speaking to ANI, Shivakumar said, “The party high command will take a call. I don’t want to comment or speak anything more. Whatever I had to speak, I have spoken already. I do not want MLAs (support)…that is not important to me. Ours is a Congress block. 135 is the number and one more ally member. We all are one and will work together”.

Meanwhile, Congress veteran Siddaramaiah met with the top leadership of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) at Delhi’s Lodhi Hotel late on Monday night.

Siddaramaiah, who served as chief minister of Karnataka from 2013-2018, however, remained tight-lipped on the meeting and did not interact with the reporters.

DK Shivakumar’s brother DK Suresh arrived in Delhi on Monday evening and met with AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge at the latter’s residence.

“I have met the AICC chief. I meet him whenever I come to Delhi. The same way I met him today. Our AICC general secretaries will let you know about other issues,” Suresh told reporters. (ANI)

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Poster War Breaks Out In Congress Over Next Karnataka CM

By LokMarg 14th May 2023

After Congress registered a thumping victory in the Karnataka assembly election, the next question that arises is who would be the next chief minister.

The contest between its two top leaders, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, for the chief ministerial post has intensified with their supporters on Sunday putting up posters in support of their respective leaders.

Supporters of Siddaramaiah, who is a former chief minister of Karnataka, put up a poster outside Siddaramaiah’s residence in Bengaluru, referring to him as “the next CM of Karnataka.”

Posters were also put up on Sunday outside the house of D K Shivakumar’s house in Bangalore wishing him an advanced birthday which is on May 15 with writing in them “Birthday greetings to the new Chief Minister of Karnataka”.

Siddaramaiah informed on Saturday that Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting would be held on Sunday where the Congress Legislative Party is expected to pass a resolution leaving it to the party high command to decide the chief minister for Karnataka.

DK Shivakumar defeated JDS candidate B Nagaraju in the Kanakapura constituency by 1,22,392 votes while Siddaramaiah won the Varuna assembly seat defeating Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) V Somanna.

According to the Election Commission of India, Congress won 135 seats pushing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) out of power in the only southern state it ruled, and boosting its own prospects for the electoral battles ahead. BJP managed to win 66 seats.

Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) bagged 19 seats. Independents have won two seats while Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha and Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha won one seat each. (ANI)

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Karnataka: Exit Polls Give Cong The Edge

By LokMarg 10th May 2023

Congress is expected to have a clear edge in Karnataka in the assembly elections held on Wednesday with four exit polls giving it a full majority and some predicting a hung assembly with an advantage to the party.

A few exit polls also said that BJP is ahead in the sweepstakes to form the government.
The exit polls, which were released after the polling ended in Karnataka, predicted that Janata Dal-Secular JD(S) would not touch the 37 seats it won in the 2018 polls but will continue to be a strong regional player in the state. If Karnataka throws up a hung assembly, the JD-S could emerge in the role of kingmaker.

According to India Today-Axis My India exit poll, Congress is poised to win a comfortable majority with 122-140 seats, BJP will get 62-80 seats, JD(S) 20-25 and others 0-3 seats.

A party needs 113 seats for a majority in the 224-member Karnataka assembly.

The poll of polls shows an advantage for the Congress with the party poised to win 109 seats, BJP 91 seats and JD-S 23.

News24-Today’s Chanakya predicted Congress crossing the halfway mark. It said BJP is poised to win 92 seats, Congress, 120 and JD-S 12 seats.

Times Now-ETG poll and India TV-CNX poll also predicted Congress hitting the majority mark. Times Now-ETG said BJP is expected to win 85 seats, Congress 113, JD-S 23 and others three.

India TV-CNX poll gave 80-90 seats to BJP, 110-120 to Congress, JD-S 20-24 and 1-3 to others.

Republic P-MARQ has predicted that Congress would get a 40 per cent vote share, BJP 36 per cent, JD(S) 17 per cent and seven per cent for independents and others.

The poll predicted that no party would get the majority mark in Karnataka with BJP poised to get 85-100 seats, Congress 94-108, JD-S 24-32 and others 2-6 seats.

The ABP-C Voter exit poll gave 83-95 seats to BJP, 100-112 to Congress, 21-29 to JD(S) and 2-6 to others.

TV9 Bharatvarsh-Polstrat poll predicted a hung assembly. It said that BJP would win 88-98 seats, Congress 99-109 seats, JD-S 21-26 seats and others 0-4 seats.

The Zee News-Matrize exit poll gave a clear advantage to Congress. It predicted BJP getting 79-94 seats, Congress 103-118 seats, JD-S 25-33 seats and others 2-5 seats.

The News Nation-CGS exit poll predicted a majority for BJP. It predicted that BJP will win 114 seats, Congress 86, JD-S 21 and others 3.

Asianet Suvarna News-Jan Ki Baat also predicted that BJP will be ahead of Congress with a better chance of forming the government. As per the exit poll, BJP is expected to get 94-117 seats while Congress would be close second with 91-106 seats.

It said JD(S) is expected to get 14-24 seats, while 0-2 seats would go to other parties.

In the 2018 assembly polls, BJP emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats, Congress won 80 seats and JD(S) got 37 seats.

The fiercely contested election that saw high-pitch campaigns from the political parties is crucial for both BJP and Congress.

BJP is keen to retain the only state it has in southern India to further expand its footprint while Congress is keen to gain momentum for its challenge in the assembly polls later this year and the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

An incumbent government has not returned to power in Karnataka after a full term of five years since 1985. (ANI)

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Cong Should Apologise To Nation: Anurag On Kharge’s Poisonous Snake Remarks

By LokMarg 27th April 2023

Slamming Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for his controversial remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday said Kharge made the statement because no one accepted him as the chief of his party.

He demanded Congress’ apology over Kharge’s remarks.
“Congress made Mallikarjun Kharge the party president but nobody considers him that, so he thought of giving a statement which is worse than that given by Sonia Gandhi. Congress should apologise to the nation,” Thakur said.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje demanded Kharge’s apology.

“Mallikarjun Kharge is a senior leader and president of Congress. What does he want to tell the world? Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister of our country and the whole world respects him and using such language for PM shows the level to which Congress has stooped. We want him (Kharge) to apologize to the country,” Karandlaje said.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge while addressing a public meeting in Kalaburagi on Thursday said, “PM Modi is like a ‘poisonous snake’, you might think it is poison or not. If you lick it, you are dead.

However as controversy sparked, Kharge clarified his earlier remark on PM Modi. He said his remarks were meant for the BJP and not for the Prime Minister.

“It was not meant for PM Modi, what I meant was BJP’s ideology is ‘like a snake’. I never said this personally for PM Modi, what I said was their ideology is like a snake and if you try to touch it, your death is certain,” said Kharge.

BJP and Congress are at loggerheads at poll-bound Karnataka. The polls for the 224-seat assembly are slated to take place on May 10 and the counting will take place on May 13. (ANI)

Ready To Pay Any Price For Speaking Truth: Rahul After Vacating Bungalow

By LokMarg 22nd April 2023

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday vacated his official bungalow and said that he is ready to pay any price for speaking the truth.

The move comes after the disqualification of the former Lok Sabha MP.
Rahul Gandhi said the government bungalow located at Tughlaq Lane was given to him by people of the country and he had stayed there for 19 years.

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and KC Venugopal were present as he handed over the keys to his official bungalow.

“People of Hindustan gave me this house for 19 years, I want to thank them. It’s the price for speaking the truth. I am ready to pay any price for speaking the truth. For some days I will be staying at 10 Janpath,” said Rahul Gandhi after the handover.

“I’ll stay at 10 Janpath for some time, then we’ll figure out something,” he said when asked where he will go now. Sonia Gandhi presently lives at 10 Janpath.

Priyanka Gandhi also echoed Rahul Gandhi’s sentiment when she stated that her brother was suffering as he had spoken the truth.

“Whatever my brother is saying is truth. He spoke truth about the government for which he is suffering. But we are not afraid..,” Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said.

AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal said, “They can give this house to anyone now. The way the Modi government and Amit Shah is targeting Rahul Gandhi is completely a political vendetta.”

Earlier in the day, trucks loaded with furniture were spotted departing from the 12 Tughlaq Lane bungalow.

Rahul Gandhi was sent a notice to vacate his bungalow, a day after a Surat Sessions Court on April 20 convicted him in a defamation case.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat on March 27 gave notice to Rahul Gandhi to vacate the government bungalow following his disqualification as MP from Lok Sabha after he was convicted in a 2019 defamation case by the Surat court for a ‘Modi surname’ remark.

Opposition parties had slammed the government over Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from Lok Sabha. The Congress leader was elected to the House from Wayanad in the 2019 general elections. (ANI)

Rahul’s Appeal For Stay On Conviction Dismissed

By LokMarg 20th April 2023

A Surat court on Thursday dismissed the application filed by Rahul Gandhi in which the Congress leader had sought a stay on his conviction in the 2019 criminal defamation case on the ‘Modi surname’ remark.

Former Wayanad MP will now have to appeal in Gujarat High Court or Supreme Court against the Surat court’s order.
Earlier on April 3, the Surat Sessions Court granted bail to the Congress leader, who had filed an appeal following his conviction in the case.

While granting bail to the former MP, the court also issued notices to complainant Purnesh Modi and the state government on the Congress leader’s plea for a stay on his conviction. It heard both parties and then reserved the order for April 20.

Rahul Gandhi was a Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad but was disqualified after a lower court in Surat sentenced him to two years in jail on March 23 under sections 499 and 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in a case filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Purnesh Modi.

The case pertained to a remark Rahul Gandhi made using the surname ‘Modi’ while addressing a campaign event ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

At a rally in Karnataka’s Kolar in April 2019, Rahul, in a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said,

“How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?”.

Following his conviction, Rahul was disqualified as an MP on March 24, as per a Supreme Court ruling in 2013. Under the ruling, any MP or MLA is automatically disqualified if convicted and sentenced to two years or more. (ANI)