Kumaraswamy sworn in Chief Minister

     Bangalore: 'Rebel' Janta Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy was on Friday sworn in as Karnataka's 23rd Chief Minister, heading a coalition of JD(S) and BJP. During the swearing-in ceremony, BJP leader B S Yediyurappa took the oath as the Deputy Chief Minister. Governor T N Chaturvedi administered the oath of office and secrecy at the portals of Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat. Bharatiya Janta Party President Rajnath Singh and senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu were present at the ceremony. However, Kumaraswamy's father and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda was not present on the occasion.

    H D Kumaraswamy, the youngest son of Deve Gowda, is a well-known producer of Kannada films, and now, will become Karnataka's 18th Chief Minister. Prior to his political baptism, Kumaraswamy produced hit films with top stars like Ghalate Aliyandru, Suryavamsha, Premotsava and the recent Chandra Chakori (which ran for 500 days). He was also an exhibitor and distributor of films and is known to harbour an ambition to start a Kannada television channel called 'Kannada Kasturi. Forty-six-year-old Kumaraswamy has now scripted his political career by walking out on his father and shaking the foundations of the N.Dharam Singh Government.

     Born in 1959, the rebel Janata Dal (Secular) leader completed his education in Bangalore. He then charted a career in film distribution, even as his father H D Deve Gowda and older brother Revanna pursued their respective political ambitions. He released his first film in 2000. He was elected the President of the Karnataka Cinema Theatre Owners Association in 2002, a position he still holds. Kumaraswamys political career has been a roller coaster ride, closely tracking the political fortunes of his father. He won the Kanakapura Lok Sabha seat in 1996 without any political experience, at a time when his father was the prime minister. But he lost from the seat in 1998 after Deve Gowdas reign was over. Kumaraswamy had to face another setback in 1999, losing the Sathanur Assembly seat to arch rival D K Shivakumar. He won the Ramanagaram Assembly seat in 2004, but was left out of the ministry. He became working President of state JD (S) in the same year. Kumaraswamy then took advantage of the growing discontent within the JD (S), on the issue of the Congress extending support to the party formed by JD (S) rival Siddaramaiah. The producer-turned-politician was reportedly encouraged by his astrologer, and was told he would never become chief minister if he delayed making a move. Kumaranna, as he is known in Karnataka, was known to function as a kind of front office for his father when Deve Gowda was prime minister in Delhi two years ago, and also contested the parliamentary election successfully two years ago from the same region.

Infrastructure top priority, says Kumaraswamy

     Bangalore: Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who took oath of office on Friday, said he would take steps to safeguard his government, which faces a confidence vote next week. Reports say that Kumaraswamy will seek the vote of confidence on February 8. "To safeguard our government to safeguard our party, I will take appropriate decisions," he told reporters here after taking the oath. Kumaraswamy also said his priority would be to spruce up the state's infrastructure. "Our priority will be regarding infrastructure, rural development, rural health, rural education, definitely we will give good proposals to the people... No, we are not interested in giving any packages, we will concentrate on the problems that our state is facing and will prioritise on them," he said. Kumaraswamy's appointment as the Chief Minister ended a fortnight-long political drama in the southern state. Kumaraswamy's party has joined hands with earlier rivals, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While Kumaraswamy will remain as the Chief Minister for half of the remaining tenure of the present assembly, the rest would be led by state BJP chief Yediyurappa.

    The nearly two-week political seesaw ended last week after Chief Minister N Dharam Singh, who delayed the decisive trust vote sparking furious protests from the opposition, finally resigned when forced to prove majority in the State Assembly. Dharam Singh, resigned form his post on Saturday as Karnataka Governor TN Chaturvedi decided to invite the opposition BJP- supported Janata Dal (Secular) to form the government. The Congress- JD (S) alliance government in Karnataka came to power in 2004 elections, which threw up a fractured verdict. The BJP with its ally Janata Dal-United emerged as the largest group with 82 seats but fell short of a majority in the 224 strong state legislature. The Congress had finished second with 64 seats and the Janata Dal (Secular) got 57 seats.

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