New Delhi, 03 June– Carrying a copy of the Constitution of India, DK Shivakumar on Wednesday moved ahead fulfilling his lifetime ambition as he was administered oath of office and secrecy by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot at a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru becoming 34th Chief Minister of the state.
Those who attended the event included Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, former state chief minister Siddaramaiah, Congress Chief Ministers VD Satheeshan (Kerala), Revanth Reddy (Telengana) and Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh).
Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several senior Congress MPs had carried copies of the Constitution while taking oath as Members of Parliament — a stark reminder of their claim that the NDA government’s moves were often in violation of the Constitution.
Former Home Minister and senior leader G Parameshwara took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka.
The cabinet also included UT Khader, MB Patil, KJ George, KH Muniyappa, Satish Jarkiholi, Ramalinga Reddy, Krishna Byregowda, Priyank Kharge, Ishwar Khandre, Byrathi Suresh and Sharan Prakash Patil.
The Cabinet is expected to be expanded after Rajya Sabha elections.
During the oath ceremony, the new Chief Minister seen conspicuously carrying a copy of the Constitution, continuing a trend seen after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Before taking oath as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, DK Shivakumar took blessings of Veera Gangadhara Ajjayya, at Lok Bhavan. He also felicitated Kharge and his predecessor Siddaramaiah.
Earlier today, Shivakumar had formally met Siddaramaiah, veteran BJP leader BS Yediyurappa, and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and invited them to the oath ceremony at the Lok Bhavan.
Shivakumar, one of the Congress’s most prominent leaders in Karnataka, has represented the Kanakapura Assembly constituency for eight consecutive terms and has served as the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president since 2020.
He played a key role in leading the party to victory in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections and has been instrumental in strengthening the organisation in the state.
Along with Shivakumar and G Parameshwara, KH Muniyappa, KJ George, MB Patil, Ramalinga Reddy, Sathish Jarakiholi, Krishna Byregowda, Priyank Kharge, UT Khader, Eshwar Khandre, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Byrathi Suresh and Sharan Prakash Patil have taken oath as the first batch of Cabinet.
Veteran Journalist and Political Commentator
