Karnataka: Diversity in oath-taking ceremony

The oath-taking ceremony of new ministers at Raj Bhavan on Saturday proved to be an occasion to swear by their deepest beliefs for some ministers who took oaths in the names of local deities, national leaders and their voters.

Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, the lone woman in the Siddaramaiah cabinet, took oath in the name of Chatrapathi Shivaji, Basavanna, Dr Ambedkar, apart from her mother and the voters of her constituency --- Belagavi Rural. The range of names she included as part of her oath-taking was a reflection of the diversity of the population in her constituency, which borders Maharashtra.

Another leader who stood out was Ballari legislator B Nagendra by taking oath in the name of Maharshi Valmiki, while Hiriyur MLA D Sudhakar took oath in the name of the deity Teru Malleshwara.

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Meanwhile, Bidar MLA Rahim Khan took oath in the name of Allah. Khan also stood out by taking the oath in English.

The oath-taking ceremony was held amid fanfare from the supporters of the ministers who had gathered in large numbers on the occasion.

Meanwhile, Minister Boseraju was a unique case with him being neither an MLA nor an MLC. With the party still giving him an opportunity in the cabinet, it is believed that Congress will help him become an MLC.

With the induction of the 24 ministers on Saturday, Siddaramaiah’s cabinet is to its full capacity at 34 ministers.