Bengaluru: AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge has invited top Opposition leaders to Siddharamaiah’s swearing-in ceremony in Bengaluru on May 20. He and CM-designate Siddharamaiah are personally calling the leaders and extending invitations. 

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru this morning, Deputy CM-designate D.K. Shivakumar stated that the new Government which is the voice of the people and which is looked up to by the people is going to take shape on Saturday.

“All our national leaders are coming to attend the swearing-in ceremony. On the first day of the cabinet, we are going to implement all the guarantee schemes. Many national leaders are also participating in the event.

“I call upon all Congress workers and leaders to consider this statement through the media as an invitation and attend the programme. People need to reach venue before 11 am,” he stated.

The party has planned a massive show of strength by inviting top Opposition leaders such as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin and NCP Chief Sharad Pawar in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Leaders of like-minded political parties — including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D. Raja, Nationalist Congress Party Chief Sharad Pawar, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, People’s Democratic Party’s Mehbooba Mufti, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray are expected to participate in the swearing-in ceremony.

However, the invitation has not yet gone out to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy and the Aam Aadmi Party. ‘Ulaganayagan’ Kamal Haasan has also been invited.

The Karnataka Congress has also extended invitations to former Congress Presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Besides, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu will also be invited and they will also be present.

 Mamata likely to skip

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, who was invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony, is likely to skip the event, a top source at the State Secretariat said.