HD Kumaraswamy sworn-in as 24th CM of Karnataka

Bengaluru, May 23: H.D. Kumaraswamy of Janata Dal (Secular) was sworn-in as the 24th chief minister of Karnataka on Wednesday, marking the beginning of the JD(S)-Congress alliance in the state.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President G. Parameshwara took oath as the state's Deputy Chief Minister.

Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath to Kumaraswamy and Parameshwara at a gala ceremony held outside the Vidhana Soudha, the state assembly.

The ceremony was attended by a battery of political dignitaries, including United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and son of former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad, Tejaswi Yadav, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Fifty-eight-year-old Kumaraswamy was invited to form the government in Karnataka after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led B S Yeddyurappa stepped down within three days of taking over as the state chief minister, following a fractured mandate of Karnataka assembly polls.

Around 2,500 policemen have been deployed in the areas surrounding the Vidhan Soudha. Movement of drones around the Vidhan Soudha has also been restricted.