Thursday, February 2 2006 18:46 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: A two-member JD(S)-BJP ministry headed by H D Kumaraswamy will be sworn-in tomorrow(Feb 2, 2006), opening another coalition chapter in Karnataka's politics.

New found partners, BJP and JD(S) rebel group would take over the reins of administration in a climax to the bizzare turn of political events that saw the exit of Congress-JD(S) ministry led by Dharam Singh.

In accordance with the power-sharing pact between the two parties, JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda's son Kumaraswamy would take oath as the 18th Chief Minister and senior BJP leader B S Yediyurappa as the fifth Deputy Chief Minister.

For BJP, it would be a political watershed as Karnataka would be the first state in the South it would be ruling, a desire that had remained unfulfilled despite emerging as the single largerst party in the last assembly polls.

The crisis in the Congress-JD(S) coalition came as the right opportunity to strike for the BJP which wooed Kumaraswamy to be its coalition partner after he led a group of JD(S) rebels and withdrew support to the Dharam Singh Government.

Kumaraswamy, who would seek a vote of confidence on February eight, has said a full-fledged ministry would be constituted after he demonstrates his majority -- within eight days of ascension of office as directed by Governor T N Chaturvedi.

The Governor would administer the oath of office and secrecy to Kumaraswamy and Yediyurappa on the portals of Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat, at 12.21 pm. Police have made tight security arrangements for the swearing-in ceremony.

BJP President Rajnath Singh and the party's senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu would be present, party sources said.