The newly selected Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh will take oath at separate ceremonies today (17 December 2018).
The swearing-in ceremonies that will be held in Bhopal, Raipur and Jaipur are being seen as a platform to exhibit the Opposition unity prior to the Lok Sabha elections scheduled in 2019. Congress President Rahul Gandhi will be in Rajasthan for the swearing-in ceremony of Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, followed by Kamal Nath in Madhya Pradesh and at last for Bhupesh Bhagal in Chhattisgarh. The ceremonies will be held one after the other.
Prominent personalities who are expected to attend the oath-taking ceremonies include former Indian Prime Minister H D Devegowda, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Ex- Chief Minister Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah, RJD President Tejashwi Yadav and also LJD leader Sharad Yadav. In addition, former NDA supporter and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu can also make it to all the 3 events.
Meanwhile, the Congress party has also given an invitation to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to attend the oath-taking ceremonies, indicating a possible melt in ties. All India Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will not be able to attend the programme and instead has directed an envoy on her behalf.
BSP head Mayawati along with SP leader Akhilesh Yadav will be attending today’s ceremonies. It must be noted that the two leaders from Uttar Pradesh had extended their parties’ support to the Congress after it fell short of a majority in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
