DK Shivakumar takes oath as Karnataka Chief Minister, names 13-member Cabinet

State Congress President DK Shivakumar took oath as Karnataka Chief Minister on Wednesday, with 13 other legislators, including senior leader G Parameshwara, sworn in as ministers in his Cabinet.

In the presence of AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge, top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and outgoing chief minister Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar took oath in the name of seer “Gangadhar Ajja” while holding a copy of the Constitution.

Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath of office and secrecy to Shivakumar, Parameshwara and the other ministers at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru.

Parameshwara, who is set to be designated as Deputy Chief Minister, took oath in the name of Dr B R Ambedkar.

Along with Shivakumar and Parameshwara, the legislators who took oath as ministers were K H Muniyappa, K J George, M B Patil, Ramalinga Reddy, Satish Jarkiholi, Krishna Byregowda, Priyank Kharge, U T Khader, Eshwar Khandre, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Byrathi Suresh and Sharan Prakash Patil.

Barring Khader and Yathindra, all the others were ministers in the previous Siddaramaiah government.

Khader had been the Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, while Yathindra, a member of the Legislative Council, is Siddaramaiah’s son.

Shivakumar, a 64-year-old Vokkaliga strongman, was elected leader of the Congress Legislature Party on May 30 following Siddaramaiah’s resignation as chief minister on May 28.

He had earlier served as Deputy Chief Minister under Siddaramaiah.

AICC general secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala, chief ministers of Congress-ruled states, senior Congress leaders, dignitaries and invited guests attended the swearing-in ceremony.

Religious leaders from major communities, including heads of various maths, were also present.

According to officials, invitees included students from a government school in Doddaalahalli in Kanakapura, Shivakumar’s native village.

Representatives from different sections of society, including labourers, civic workers, farmer leaders, women self-help groups and pro-Kannada organisations, also participated in the event.