Bengaluru: Senior Congress leader DK Shivakumar took oath as the 25th Chief Minister of Karnataka this week, holding a copy of the Constitution in his hand. He assumed the state's top post in a low-key swearing-in ceremony that marked the culmination of a long political journey and a carefully managed leadership transition within the party.
Along with Shivakumar, veteran Congress leader G Parameshwara took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister along with 12 others, including Yathindra, the son of ex-Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot administered the oath of office and secrecy to Shivakumar at the Glass House in Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru. Shivakumar, widely regarded as the Congress's key troubleshooter in southern India, succeeds Siddaramaiah, who stepped down on May 28 as part of a pre-arranged leadership transition agreed upon by the party leadership.
The transition came as part of a pre-arranged power-sharing arrangement within the party, bringing to a close a prolonged leadership tussle between the Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar camps.
The low-key oath ceremony was attended by senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, besides Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states.
