D.K. Shivakumar, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President, was sworn in as the 25th Chief Minister of Karnataka on 3 June, alongside 13 members of his Council of Ministers including a Deputy Chief Minister, at a grand ceremony held at the Glass House inside the Lok Bhavan premises in Bengaluru. Veteran Congress leader G. Parameshwara took oath as Deputy Chief Minister, marking a generational and social-coalition recalibration within the state's ruling Congress.

Key oath-takers

Shivakumar took the oath holding a copy of the Constitution and invoking the name of Sri Veera Gangadhara Swamiji, popularly known as Veera Gangadhara Ajja, whom he regards as his spiritual guide. Parameshwara, a senior Dalit leader and former Home Minister in the Siddaramaiah-led government, took oath in the name of B.R. Ambedkar amid loud cheers from party workers.

Senior leaders K.H. Muniyappa, a seven-time MP and Devanahalli MLA, and K.J. George, a six-time MLA from Sarvagnanagar, were also inducted. Lingayat strongman M.B. Patil, a five-time MLA from Babaleshwar, took oath invoking Jagajyoti Basavanna and the Vachanakars. Eight-time BTM Layout MLA Ramalinga Reddy took oath without invoking any deity or individual.

Social coalition on display

The Cabinet draws deliberately from Karnataka's principal vote blocs — Dalit, Vokkaliga, Lingayat, Kuruba, and OBC. Satish Jarkiholi, a five-time MLA from Yamakanmardi in Belagavi and an influential Dalit leader, was sworn in as minister. Krishna Byre Gowda, a Vokkaliga and Byatarayanapura MLA, joined the council, as did Priyank Kharge, son of AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge and three-time MLA from Chittapur.

Former Speaker U.T. Khader, Bidar's Eshwar Khandre, MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah — son of outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah — Hebbal's Byrathi Suresh, and Sedam's Sharan Prakash Patil were also inducted. Yathindra took oath in the name of the Constitution, marking his first ministerial stint.

Who attended

The ceremony opened with Vande Mataram and the National Anthem, performed by the Karnataka State Police Band, followed by the state anthem. Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh sought Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot's permission before proceedings began.

Attendees included Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Kerala Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, and AICC General Secretaries K.C. Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala. Shivakumar felicitated Siddaramaiah by draping a shawl over his shoulders before the formal proceedings.

What it signals

The transition formalises an internal Congress arrangement long debated since the party's 2023 sweep in Karnataka. With Shivakumar — a Vokkaliga leader — at the helm and Parameshwara, a Dalit, as deputy, the Congress is presenting a calibrated caste balance ahead of the next electoral cycle. Portfolio allocations and the contours of policy continuity from the Siddaramaiah years will be watched closely in the coming days.