evidence: Karnataka Govt formation: A week after the Congress won the Assembly elections in Karnataka, veteran leader Siddaramaiah was sworn in as the Chief Minister today (May 20) along with his deputy DK Shivakumar. In addition, a group of MLAs also took oaths as ministers. Even after the comfortable win in polls, grabbing the top post in the state was not easy for 75-year-old Siddaramaiah as the party's state chief Shivakumar had presented his case for the CM post in a very strong manner. However, Siddaramaiah had the last laugh after central leadership held prolonged parleys to break the tense deadlock for the top post. The top brass of the Congress party including the Gandhi family members - Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, party's national president Mallikarjun Kharge were present on the occasion. The Chief Ministers of the Congress-ruled states including Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel attended the event amid the Opposition's show of unity ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. It should be mentioned here that Congress had emerged as the single largest party in Karnataka after winning the May 10 assembly election.