Karnataka CM Oath Ceremony Live Updates: Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi thanked the people of Karnataka for electing the party

As the Congress government in Karnataka was sworn-in, former party president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday said the people of the state had given a "historic mandate" for a pro-poor regime and rejected the politics of divisiveness. Congress leader Siddaramaiah was sworn in as Karnataka chief minister in a grand ceremony in Bengaluru and the new dispensation held its first Cabinet meet that gave an in-principle approval to implement the party's poll promises.

Newly sworn-in Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the state suffering a loss as its legitimate special grant of Rs 5,495 crore mentioned in the interim report of the 15th Finance Commission was not given to it.

The Karnataka government in its maiden Cabinet meeting on Saturday accorded "in-principle" approval to implement the Congress party's five guarantees and initial estimates indicate that it would cost the exchequer Rs 50,000 crore annually, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said.

BSP president Mayawati on Saturday accused the Congress of neglecting Dalits and Muslims while picking the new Karnataka chief minister and the deputy chief minister because of the "casteist mindset".

DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin who took part in the swearing-in ceremony of Congress leader Siddaramaiah as Karnataka Chief Minister on Saturday said the 'dawn' witnessed in south should spread to rest of the country. Stalin, on his Twitter handle said: "Hearty congratulations to Hon'ble @siddaramaiah avaru and Hon'ble @DKShivakumar avaru on taking oath as the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka respectively."

The newly elected Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah said on Saturday that his government will issue an order for the implementation of the five 'guarantees' promised by the party before the elections. He also said his government will give administration as expected by the people of Karnataka. "We will give an administration which people have expected from us. Five guarantees will be passed in the cabinet meeting and an order will be issued to implement them today itself," Siddaramaiah said soon after taking oath as the Chief Minister.

BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel on Saturday took a swipe at new Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah alleging that he does not enjoy the freedom of picking Ministers of his choice in his Cabinet. Posting a letter by the Congress general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal to Siddaramaiah on his Twitter handle, Kateel said the new Chief Minister has become a puppet of Congress high command from day one.

1. G Parameshwara2. K H Muniyappa3. K J George4. ​​​M B Patil5. ​Satish Jarkiholi6.​​ Priyank Kharge (AICC President M Mallikarjun Kharge's son),7. Ramalinga Reddy8.​ B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan

Several prominent opposition leaders and Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states will attend the swearing-in ceremony of Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister and D K Shivakumar as the Deputy Chief Minister here on Saturday as the grand old party seeks to promote opposition unity ahead of next year's Lok Sabha elections. Eight newly-elected legislators are also likely to take oath as Ministers along with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.

The first daunting task that Siddaramaiah is expected to face is putting in place a Cabinet with the right combinations that will strike a balance in having representatives from all communities, regions, factions, and also from among the old and new generation of legislators.

The 75-year old Siddaramaiah will become the Chief Minister for the second term after his earlier five-year stint from 2013; while 61-year old Shivakumar, who had earlier worked as Minister under Siddaramaiah, will also continue as the party's Karnataka state president till Parliamentary elections next year.

Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were in Delhi till late Friday night discussing with the party's high command the names of ministers to be inducted into the new cabinet and the allocation of portfolios. While the CM-designate has returned to Bengaluru, the KPCC chief is on his way back.

According to sources in the Congress, eight legislators are likely to be sworn in as ministers along with Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar. Sources said those who are likely to be sworn-in as Ministers are: G Parameshwara (SC), K H Muniyappa (SC), K J George (Minority-Christian), M B Patil (Lingayat), Satish Jarkiholi (ST-Valmiki), Priyank Kharge (SC and AICC President M Mallikarjun Kharge's son), Ramalinga Reddy (Reddy), and B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan (Minority-Muslim).

Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar also formally invited Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for the swearing-in ceremony.

Sources said that 20 to 25 ministers could take oath on Saturday. Some prominent names included former Karnataka Congress chief and ex-deputy chief minister G Parameshwara, Lingayat leader M B Patil, senior Congressman and former minister KJ George, they said. Priyank Kharge, the son of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Roopa Shashidhar, the daughter of former Union minister K H Muniyappa, Karnataka Congress working president Eshwara Khandre, former minister Tanveer Sait, senior leader Krishna Byre Gowda and Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council B K Hariprasad are among the names considered, the sources said.

Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar would take oath at 12.30 pm on Saturday at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. A few ministers are also likely to take oath though there was no official announcement.

Congress is expecting about 60,000 people at the venue, which has a seating capacity of 25,000-odd.

Other notable names invited to the swearing-in are NCP chief Sharad Pawar, ex-Maharashtra CM Udhhav Thackeray, NC chief Farooq Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechuri and D Raja of CPI.

Hussain said he was unaware of invitations "privately" extended by anyone from within the Congress brass, seeking to explain how Mamata made it to the list.

Bengal CM and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, who offered an electoral quid pro quo with Congress "in its strongholds and ours" with two days of the Karnataka verdict, received a telephone invitation from Siddaramaiah. She expressed her inability to go, but deputed MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar to be at the swearing-in. SP chief and ex-UP CM Akhilesh Yadav, who toed Mamata's line this week, is on the guest list, too.

Congress high command on Friday authorised Karnataka CM-elect Siddaramaiah and his would-be deputy D K Shivakumar to pick 10 faces each for a possible 29 to 30-member ministry, setting the template for the functioning of the new state government that will be sworn in Saturday in the presence of the party brass, CMs from four UPA allies and a representative of newfound friend TMC.