HD Kumaraswamy Oath On Wednesday, Invites Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati

Bengaluru: HD Kumaraswamy picked up his invite to be Karnataka's next chief minister from Governor Vajubhai Vala on Saturday evening, hours after the Governor's first, but controversial choice to run the state - BS Yeddyurappa - sent in his resignation. As he walked out of Raj Bhavan, Mr Kumaraswamy, the nominee of Congress-Janata Dal Secular alliance for the chief minister's job, said he had a date for his swearing-in. It seems he also had a tentative guest list ready.

The JDS leader has invited West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, BSP chief Mayawati and others for the swearing-in ceremony, which is to be held on Wednesday.

The ceremony had been planned for Monday but it was changed due to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's death anniversary.

Mr Kumaraswamy said he will also invite Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi.

"Mamata Banerjee, Chandrababu Naidu and K Chandrasekhar Rao congratulated me. Mayawati ji has also blessed me. I have invited all regional leaders for oath ceremony. I've also invited Sonia Gandhi ji and Rahul Gandhi ji personally," Mr Kumawaswamy said after meeting the governor in Bengaluru.
 On Saturday night, Mr Kumaraswamy, 58, said his JDS and the Congress will sit together and figure out their plans to run the government smoothly. Sources say the deputy chief minister will likely be from the Congress which is also likely to get key portfolios.

Taking a jibe at the BJP and Mr Yeddyurappa, he said the JDS-Congress combine will call for an assembly session to prove majority as soon as possible. "We don't need 15 days," he said.

Saturday's trust vote for the Yeddyurappa government was ordered by the Supreme Court yesterday on a petition by the Congress and JDS challenging the governor's decision inviting Mr Yeddyurappa to form the government and prove his majority in 15 days after election results were announced on Tuesday.

Mr Yeddyurappa's resignation paved way for the Congress-JDS combine to form the government in Karnataka. The two parties were quick to form an alliance with JDS chief HD Kumaraswamy as their head after the Karnataka results put them in second and third position. Together they have 117 members, enough for an outright majority.