Kumaraswamy set to take oath today

The stage seems set for H D Kumaraswamy to take over as the chief minister of Karnataka tomorrow with the Karnataka High Court today rejecting a petition seeking his disqualification along with that of his supporter MLAs on the grounds that they have defected from the JD(S).

The swearing-in ceremony will take place in Vidhan Soudha around noon but without the blessings of Kumaraswamy's father H D Deve Gowda who, in a meeting with the rebel MLAs today, refused to bless any tie-up with the BJP. The meeting, sources said, lasted around two minutes.

Deve Gowda will tomorrow address a meeting of the JD(S) National Executive in Delhi. Senior JD(S) leader Surendra Mohan has written to the party alleging that it has been slow in taking action against Kumaraswamy and 35 other MLAs. "If action is not initiated soon, I shall resign from the party," he said.

The BJP, on its part, is jubilant at the prospect of forming its first government in a southern state. Leader of the BJP Legislature Party B S Yediurappa is set to become the deputy chief minister and the finance minister in the new government.

The BJP will get 18 ministries and the JD(S) 16 while the two will equally share the chairmanship of boards and corporations.

BJP chief Rajnath Singh today said he would attend the swearing-in ceremony. "The BJP-JD(S) combine is all set take over in Karnataka which was the original mandate of the people when they gave us 79 seats in the Assembly," he said.