1. CM, Deputy CM, newly-elected MLAs take oath in first session of 16th Legislative Assembly
A three-day Karnataka legislature session began today to swear-in all the newly-elected legislators. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, eight Cabinet Ministers and former Chief Ministers Basavaraj Bommai were among the prominent newly-elected MLAs to take oath as members of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on May 22.
Earlier in the day, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath to R.V. Deshpande as pro-tem speaker of the House at Raj Bhavan. In the House of 224, 135 are from Congress, 66 from BJP and 19 from JD(S). With only nine ministers sworn in, lobbying continues for the remaining berths out of a total of 34.
The first session of the 16 th Legislative Assembly saw close to 100 MLAs taking oath.
2. Religion, ritual and ideology mark Day 1 of Karnataka legislature session
Gods and local deities, saints, gurus and voters found a mention at the swearing-in ceremony of the MLAs-elect to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. Though a majority of the MLAs took oath in the name of God and the Constitution of India, a few of them invoked local deities such as Anjanadri, Chamundeshwari, religious gurus like Gangadhar Ajja, and even 12 th century social reformer Basaveshwara.
However, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal of the BJP took the oath in the name of Hindutva and Gomata, while Basavaraju V Shivaganga of the Congress took oath in the name of KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar.
Meanwhile, Congress workers, along with a priest, were seen performing “purification” rituals with cow urine in front of Vidhana Soudha. They said the pooja was to remove the ‘40% sarkara’ tag attached to Karnataka and to symbolically wash away the “corrupt BJP government”.
3. Bengaluru rains | Man drowns after slipping into storm water drain
Pre-monsoon showers have wreaked havoc in Bengaluru, yet again exposing the city’s crumbling infrastructure. A day after the tragic death of 23-year-old Bhanurekha in a submerged car in K.R. Circle underpass following torrential rains, 31-year-old Lokesh drowned in an overflowing storm water drain in K.P. Agarahara on May 22.
The deaths, the flooded roads and underpasses, traffic that comes to a standstill and the many instances of tree fall, all reflect Bengaluru’s poor monsoon-preparedness. This is especially concerning as the BBMP has only been busy with electioneering over the last two months.
4. Alok Mohan takes charge as Karnataka’s new top cop
IPS officer Alok Mohan took charge as the new Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG & IGP) of Karnataka at the Police Headquarters on Nrupatunga road in Bengaluru.
The new government relieved outgoing DG&IGP Praveen Sood, who has been newly appointed Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), on Saturday.
