Here is the list of all political heavyweights attending HD Kumaraswamy's oath-taking ceremony in Karnataka

The ceremony, its guest list and how the coalition works will be a statement that the BJP can’t ignore. The invitees for H D Kumaraswamy’s swearing-in ceremony include several anti-BJP players.

The ceremony, its guest list and how the coalition works will be a statement that the BJP can’t ignore. The invitees for H D Kumaraswamy’s swearing-in ceremony include several anti-BJP players. (Photos | PTI, EPS)

Updated on:

23 May 2018, 9:37 am

2 min read

AKHILESH YADAV, SAMAJWADI PARTY CHIEF/ FORMER UP CM: Buoyed by twin victories in BJP strongholds of Uttar Pradesh in recently held bypolls, Akhilesh had already announced that he is willing to carry on his alliance with BSP all the way to 2019. SP took on the BJP in the State assembly election 2017 by forming alliance with the Congress but failed to make any impact as Yogi Adityanath's team received a thumping majority. However, Akhilesh earlier in March has said that he is ready to sacrifice anything to safeguard the parliamentary democracy in the country. He had also said that Congress should keep congenial relations with all like-minded parties and unite regional-parties against the BJP. (Photo | PTI)

MAMATA BANERJEE, WEST BENGAL CHIEF MINISTER: The Trinamool Congress supremo is one among the many leaders who has been very vocal about the formation of a 'Third Front' to defeat the NDA in the 2019 general elections. Earlier this year Mamata had met a series of leaders of the Opposition parties and even NDA ally Shiv Sena, to discuss the need for a probable alliance. The West Bengal Chief Minister had asked it to toe its 'one-on-one fight,' line in all the states. According to her, the formula meant nominating one candidate on behalf of the opposition against the BJP.(Photo | PTI)

ARVIND KEJRIWAL, DELHI CHIEF MINISTER: After the collapse of the three-day old BS Yeddyurappa government, the AAP leader had said the BJP's attempt to subvert democracy in Karnataka has failed miserably. The AAP leader is fighting the saffron party in his own den, where he has alleged that the BJP was trying to 'stall Delhi' through the lieutenant governor and the bureaucracy. (Photo | PTI)

PINARAYI VIJAYAN, KERALA CHIEF MINISTER: After the lose of Tripura, Pinarayi Vijayan has become the only surviving Communist Chief Minister of India. He had earlier said in Hyderabad that BJP and RSS are not undefeatable and that people of India will win the fight against communalism. (Photo | EPS)

CAPTAIN AMARINDER SINGH, PUNJAB CHIEF MINISTER: Reacting to Yeddyurappa's resignation, the Congressman had said the Indian democracy had been 'saved from total desecration', thanks to the Supreme Court which came to the rescue to uphold the Constitution of the country. Singh also alleged the BJP had 'stooped to new lows' in its desperation to grab power in Karnataka by 'hook or by crook'. (Photo | PTI)

CHANDRABABU NAIDU, AP CHIEF MINISTER: A former member of the BJP-led NDA, Naidu has recently joined the league of BJP critics.Reacting to Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa's resignation even before facing the floor test in the Legislative Assembly, Naidu called it a victory of democracy. He is scheduled to tour Anantpur on Monday is most likely to visit Bengaluru to attend the function. (Photo | EPS)

MAYAWATI, BSP CHIEF: JD(S) had entered an alliance with Mayawati's BSP ahead of the polls and announced that the alliance would continue in the 2019 elections as well. She had called the BJP move to form government in Karnataka as a conspiracy to destroy the constitution made by BR Ambedkar and an attack on democracy. (Photo | PTI)

NAVEEN PATNAIK, ODISHA CHIEF MINISTER: Another regional party-supremo whom the BJP has vowed to dethrone from power, the BJD leader had earlier openly announced that saffron outfit is sinking quite fast. The strategy of a stridently negative campaign against Naveen has clearly backfired for BJP in Odisha and a recently concluded bypoll to Bijepur constituency proved without doubt that he is still the boss in the state as the BJD candidate about 56 percent share of the total polled votes. (Photo | EPS)

SONIA GANDHI, FORMER CONGRESS PRESIDENT: HD Kumaraswamy had met with Sonia and Rahul in New Delhi two days ago, promising a stable government in Karnataka and a 'long-term relationship' with the Congress. During his 20-minute meeting with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Kumaraswamy is understood to have discussed the nitty-gritty of Cabinet formation and the number of ministerial berths the Congress and the JD(S) would get. (Photo | EPS)

TEJASHWI YADAV, BIHAR OPPOSITION LEADER: The younger son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tejashwi is also expected to attend the ceremony to extend his solidarity to the Congress-JD(S) government. When BJP made government in Karnataka citing that they were the single largest party, Tejashwi had demanded dissolution of the state’s NDA government and an opportunity to form the government. His claim was supported by the Congress and Hindustani Awam Morcha, his local allies against the ruling side. The grand alliance of JD(U), RJD and Congress had won Bihar’s 2015 Assembly polls, beating the BJP-led NDA. After the grand alliance ruled for 20 months, with Tejashwi Yadav as deputy chief minister, CM Nitish Kumar walked out of the alliance on July 26, 2017 due to prolonged differences with RJD. The Lalu Prasad Yadav-led party had emerged as the largest party with 80 MLAs in the Assembly polls. (Photo | PTI)

KAMAL HAASAN, MNM CHIEF: The actor-turned politician had invited Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal at the launch of his party and had held talks with Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, gesture towards possibilities of new political alignments. Political commentators take his moves as preparations for clumsy or even well-defined anti-BJP political formations for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. (Photo | EPS)

AJIT SINGH, RLD CHIEF: The Rashtriya Lok Dal chief and former Union minister had called upon opposition parties to sink their differences and pave the way for a grand alliance at the national level to ensure the BJP meets its Waterloo in 2019 general elections. He had also said it would be tragic if the opposition parties fell prey to the designs of the BJP strategists who would leave no stone unturned to prevent the opposition parties from getting together on a single platform based on a minimum common programme. (Photo | PTI)

K CHANDRASEKHAR RAO, TELANGANA CHIEF MINISTER: Chandrasekhar Rao chose to personally greet CM-designate HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesday, a day before the high-profile swearing-in ceremony is to take place. The move is being seen as a strategic move to avoid sharing dais with top Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi, which would have otherwise sent wrong political signals. This way, Rao, who is garnering support for his proposed non-congress, non-BJP Federal Front by visiting leaders of various regional parties, now has another regional party as a possible ally while maintaining equal distance from both the BJP and Congress. (Photo | EPS)