Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, May 22: Dr G Parameshwara will be Karnataka’s first Dalit deputy chief minister, and will be sworn-in on Wednesday May 23.
JD(S) state chief H D Kumaraswamy will be taking oath as the chief minister at 4.30 pm.
"Congress president Rahul Gandhi has approved the name of Parameshwara as the Deputy Chief Minister in the coalition government," party's general secretary K C Venugopal told reporters here.
Sources reveal that the Congress and JD(S) leaders have discussed regarding the cabinet formation on Tuesday May 22. Of the 34 ministries, 22 will go to Congress and 12, including the chief minister's post, will be with JD(S). However, the portfolios will be announced only after the floor test, said K C Venugopal.
The Congress and JD(S) combine have also finalised that K R Ramesh Kumar, the former minister for health, would be the Speaker candidate.
A seasoned politician, Dr G Parameshwara was born on 6 August 1951, at Gollahalli (now known as Siddartha Nagar) in Tumakuru. He entered politics in 1989, contesting and winning from Madhugiri constituency in the state Assembly elections. He won again from Madhugiri in 1999 and 2004, and Koratagere in 2008. He served as Minister of State for Sericulture in Veerappa Moily's cabinet (1993-94) and minister for higher education (1999-2004).
Dr G Parameshwara has been the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president since October 27, 2010.
In 2013, Parameshwara was actually the top contender to become chief minister but Siddaramaiah was sworn in as he got defeated at Koratagere.