Congress leader DK Shivakumar took oath as the 34th Chief Minister of Karnataka on Wednesday, along with 13 members of his cabinet.
Shivakumar was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Karnataka Governor Thawarchand Gehlot at 4.05 pm at the Glass House in Lok Bhavan. While Shivakumar takes over as Chief Minister, G Parameshwara is set to take over as Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka.
Shivakumar, who has represented the Kanakapura Assembly constituency for eight consecutive terms so far, was unanimously elected as the leader of the Karnataka Congress Legislature Party at a meeting of the CLP and senior leaders held on May 30.
13 ministers appointed to the Karnataka government take oath
12 other leaders were appointed ministers and took oath along with Shivakumar and Parameshwara on Wednesday. These include KH Muniyappa, KJ George, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Priyank Kharge, MB Patil, Satish Jarkiholi, Krishna Byre Gowda, Ramalinga Reddy, UT Khader, Eshwar Khandre, Byrathi Suresh and Dr Sharan Prakash Patel.
Former Karnataka state president Siddaramaiah resigned from his post on May 28, saying the Congress high command had asked him to step down to make way for his deputy. Siddaramaiah’s son Yatindra was also seen as one of the front runners for the deputy chief minister’s post. However, Yatendra closed the reports with a ‘no’ when asked if he was looking forward to the post. “The last time I visited the high command, Rahul Gandhi told me that my interests will be taken care of, and he said that I will be appointed in the Cabinet, so I am optimistic. Whatever portfolio is given to me, I will be happy,” Yatindra said, according to an earlier HT report.
Senior Congress leaders Kargi and Rahul attend the swearing-in ceremony
Senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, attended the swearing-in ceremony of Shivakumar and 13 other ministers from Karnataka. AICC General Secretary (Organization) KC Venugopal was also present.
Before the ceremony, Shivakumar met religious leaders and sought blessings of the seers who had gathered for the event. Other senior party leaders, including Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, were also present during the ceremony. Hailing Shivakumar’s contribution to the party, Sukhu said: “It is good. DK Shivakumar has been a party worker for a long time, he was the state president and this decision has come as per an agreement.” Sukhu told news agency ANI that Shivakumar would “take forward” the policies Siddaramaiah had put in place over three years.
Shivakumar was appointed as the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president in 2020 and continues to hold the post. He played a key role in leading the party to victory in the 2023 state assembly elections.
