Farmers defied rain to watch HDK’s oath-taking

An hour of pouring rains did not dampen the oath-taking ceremony of HD Kumaraswamy, as farmers from Hassan, Channapatna, Ramanagara, Mandya and elsewhere watched him taking over the state’s reigns on Wednesday.

One of the farmers, Narase Gowda from Channapatna in Ramanagara district, even considered the downpour as a sign of blessings on his beloved JD(S) leader. “Rain before any event is auspicious. It can never be a spoiler for farmers like us,” Gowda said, as many of his fellow planters watched Kumaraswamy’s formal ascension with teary eyes.

Soon as the showers began, thousands who gathered before the Vidhana Saudha took shelters under the chairs and flex banners. Many also stayed below the shades of the Vidhana Saudha gate and metro station, while a few also waited underneath the trees at the High Court for the rain to stop.

The process to arrange chairs for thousands of supporters was hastily halted when the rain started, but the downpour did not keep them away for too long. Soon as the swearing-in of Kumaraswamy began, they rushed up before the stage and cheered him.

Four out of six LED screens put up at the venue for supporters to watch the oath-taking had to be turned off due to rain, while two of them on the main stage were functional.

Undeterred by the blacked out LED screens, supporters climbed on to the chairs, trees and even fire and emergency vehicles to witness the ceremony. They were seen clambering on to the High Court and Metro gates to watch their leader’s ascension.