DK Shivakumar, senior Congress leader and party’s main troubleshooter, is set to be sworn in as Karnataka’s Chief Minister on the evening of June 3 at the Glass House in Bengaluru’s Lok Bhavan. Two days after former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah submitted his resignation, the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) on Saturday elected Shivakumar — who was Deputy Chief Minister — as its new leader.
At a meeting held at Vidhana Soudha, outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah himself proposed Shivakumar’s name for the top post. The proposal was seconded by senior Congress leader Dr G Parameshwara and received unanimous support from the legislature party.
Following the election, newly chosen CLP leader Shivakumar moved a resolution commending Siddaramaiah’s services during his tenure as Chief Minister, seeking the house’s continued support as the transition gets underway.
KPCC Working President GC Chandrashekar said Glass House was chosen as a venue to minimise public inconvenience and no passes will be issued for the ceremony.
Party workers have been requested not to gather at the venue, with Shivakumar expected to visit district centres at a later date to meet and thank them personally.
‘Siddaramaiah ji has won everyone over’
All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary KC Venugopal, who was present at the meeting, hailed the seamless changeover as a victory for the party. “I can proudly say that the sincere Congress heart of Siddaramaiah ji has won everyone over and has given a befitting reply to BJP who thought it won’t be an easy transition,” Venugopal said, adding that the Congress is confident of returning to power in Karnataka in 2028.
Venugopal acknowledged that many had anticipated turbulence within the party during the leadership change but stressed that no such disruption occurred.
“Ours is a great family. Everybody was behind Siddaramaiah. Many wondered what Siddaramaiah would do. But with one word, he replied from his heart: Only Congress matters. The decision of the Congress high command, the decision of the party, is also the decision of Siddaramaiah. He proved it in a very big way,” the Congress general secretary said.
With assets worth Rs 1,400 crore, the Vokkaliga strongman will be India’s wealthiest Chief Minister. Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu takes the second spot with declared assets of over Rs 931 crore.