New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday said he will join the oath-taking ceremony of Congress leader Siddaramaiah as the Karnataka CM.
The Bihar CM said he was in contact with Siddaramaiah already, while Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge also invited him to attend the function. “They (Congress) had a massive win (in Karnataka). I am in contact with the CM designate, he and Congress President also invited me to the swearing-in ceremony, so I told them that I will come…”
“…if opposition parties come together that will be in the interest of the nation, efforts are underway for that,” said the Bihar CM.
#WATCH | Darbhanga, Bihar: "They (Congress) had a massive win (in Karnataka). I am in contact with the CM designate, he and Congress President also invited me to the swearing-in ceremony, so I told them that I will come…if opposition parties come together that will be in the… pic.twitter.com/ucN9II6i5b
— ANI (@ANI) May 19, 2023
Mamata Banerjee To Skip
Earlier in the day, West Bengal cabinet minister Derek O’Brien informed that state CM Mamata Banerjee will skip the ceremony. TMC MP Kakoli G Dastidar will attend the function on her behalf.
As political experts believes, even a representative from the TMC to the oath-taking ceremony became crucial after a recent statement of Mamata Banerjee that her party will support Congress in all the states where the latter is strong in order to strengthen the Opposition in the nation.
The CM designate of Karnataka Mr Siddaramaiah & his other colleagues called to personally invite @AITCofficial Chairperson & Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee for swearing-in tomorrow
She conveyed her best wishes & designated @kakoligdastidar #TMC Deputy Leader in LS to attend ceremony
— Derek O'Brien | ডেরেক ও'ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) May 19, 2023
Read More: Congress invites like-minded party leaders for swearing-in; Nitish Kumar, Akhilesh Yadav among invitees
To Bring Opposition Together
The West Bengal CM as well as her Bihar counterpart have been vouching for a while to bring the Opposition together to fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government in the upcoming Lok Sabha election in 2024.
Both the leaders had held a crucial meeting last month in Kolkata regarding the Opposition unity.
Congress wins 135 seats in Karnataka, ceremony tomorrow
Congress on Thursday announced faces for Karnataka Chief Minister and its deputy after the handsome victory in the Assembly elections, held on May 10.
Senior party leader Siddaramaiah has been designated for the Chief Ministerial post whereas, KPCC president DK Shivakumar will be his deputy.
The swearing-in event for both the leaders will take place tommorow, May 20.
