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Karnataka: Stage all set for oath-taking ceremony at B’luru stadium
As preparations are underway in Bengaluru’s Kanteerava stadium, Congress officials said that apart from the 25,000-seat capacity of the stadium, additional seating will be provided on the ground.
More than one lakh people are expected to take part in Siddaramaiah’s swearing-in ceremony on Saturday, said Congress office-bearers. As the preparations are underway for the event at Bengaluru’s Kanteerava stadium, officials said that apart from the 25,000-seat capacity of the stadium, additional seating will be provided on the ground.
Before leaving for New Delhi on Friday, the deputy chief minister designate DK Shivakumar visited the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru to inspect the preparations for the swearing-in ceremony to be held at 12.30 pm on Saturday.
After days of deliberation and intense lobbying, Congress announced Siddaramaiah as the new chief minister and DK Shivakumar as the deputy chief minister. The two will take oath at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Addressing the media at the venue on Friday, Shivakumar said: “We are inviting the people of Karnataka to witness the event. We have invited several tall leaders to this function. The only thing I have to tell the workers is that considering this announcement as your invitation, come for the event by 11 am.”
Siddaramaiah had taken oath in the same venue as the CM in 2013.
The official circular confirmed the participation of 11 VVIPs in the event. Congress’ former presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Puducherry CM N Rangaswamy and Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren are taking part in the event.
West Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee has also been invited but reports said that she has deputed her party MP for the event.
Ahead of the oath-taking ceremony, the city police are stepping up the security in and around the venue. Preparations were kept in mind in view of the ‘Z’ plus and ‘Z’ category security for the CMs of various states and Congress dignitaries. The central reserve police force (CRPF) will be deputed to ensure security. An advance security liaison (ASL) meeting is being conducted to ensure fool proof security.
The security arrangements will be overseen by Bengaluru police commissioner CH Pratap Reddy, special commissioner (traffic) Dr MA Saleem, two joint commissioners of police and two additional commissioners of police.
“Eight deputy commissioners of police (DCP), ten assistant commissioners of police, 28 police sub-inspectors and over 1,500 police personnel would be deployed to maintain law and order. As many as 500 traffic police would also be deployed,” said a senior police official.
Bengaluru traffic police on Friday issued a fresh traffic advisory detailing the routes to avoid and alternate arrangements for the oath-taking ceremony of Siddaramaiah as chief minister and DK Shivakumar his deputy at the Kantegerava Outdoor Stadium on Saturday.
