Senior Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar will take oath as the 25th Chief Minister of Karnataka on June 3 in Bengaluru, government sources said, days after his colleague Siddaramaiah resigned from the post after three years of intense power struggle.
The swearing-in ceremony will be held at Lok Bhavan Glass House and is expected to be attended by senior Congress leaders, cabinet colleagues, party workers and supporters from across Karnataka.
The 64-year-old's appointment comes days after Siddaramaiah stepped down as Chief Minister following consultations with the Congress high command in Delhi. The transition is being viewed as part of the leadership arrangement worked out by the party leadership.
Ending months of intense speculation over a leadership change in Karnataka, Siddaramaiah on Thursday resigned as Chief Minister, paving the way for Shivakumar, his deputy, to take over the top post.
Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot accepted Siddaramaiah's resignation a day after the 77-year-old leader submitted it to the Governor's Special Secretary at Lok Bhavan in the Governor's absence. Gehlot was away from Bengaluru for personal reasons.
The development marks the culmination of a prolonged power tussle within the Karnataka Congress, with Shivakumar long seen as a contender for the top post since the party's victory in the 2023 Assembly polls.
At a breakfast meeting hosted at his Bengaluru residence on Thursday, Siddaramaiah informed cabinet colleagues about his decision to step down and indicated that Shivakumar would succeed him in line with the Congress high command's directions, according to ministers present at the meeting.
The Congress leadership had recently asked Siddaramaiah to facilitate a leadership transition while also offering him a role at the national level along with a Rajya Sabha seat. However, sources said Siddaramaiah has not accepted the proposed central role so far.
Shivakumar is expected to be formally elected leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) on Saturday, after which he will become the Chief Minister-designate.
The leadership change follows days of hectic consultations in Delhi. Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were summoned by the Congress high command on Tuesday and held a series of meetings with Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and party general secretaries K. C. Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala.
Speculation around a rotational chief minister arrangement had persisted ever since the Congress formed the government in Karnataka in 2023. According to the widely discussed formula, Siddaramaiah was expected to step down after completing two-and-a-half years in office, allowing Shivakumar to take charge for the remaining term. Neither the Congress leadership nor Siddaramaiah had publicly acknowledged such an arrangement at the time.
Meanwhile, commenting on questions regarding the new Chief Minister and government formation, Shivakumar said on Friday that the immediate priority is to complete the process of electing the CLP leader and that other matters would be discussed only after that process is concluded.
Shivakumar also met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi and sought his blessings by touching his feet. The meeting focused on issues related to the formation of the new state government.
Speaking to the media in Delhi after meeting Congress high command leaders, Shivakumar said a CLP meeting has been scheduled in Bengaluru on Saturday evening and all party MLAs have been instructed to remain in the city. He added that the timing of the meeting was decided as per the directions of the Congress leadership.
He declined to reveal details regarding the swearing-in ceremony and formation of the new Cabinet, stating that decisions would be taken step by step.
Congress MPs and MLAs from Karnataka also met Shivakumar in New Delhi on Friday and held consultations with him. Shivakumar and former minister K. J. George also held discussions with Siddaramaiah in Delhi.
In a significant development, caretaker Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has convened a CLP meeting on Saturday to elect a new leader following his resignation. The newly elected CLP leader is expected to become the party's choice for the Chief Minister's post.
The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. in the Conference Hall of Vidhana Soudha, with Siddaramaiah presiding over the proceedings as current CLP leader.
The announcement was made by Allamaprabhu Patil, Secretary of the Congress Legislature Party. All MLAs, MLCs, Lok Sabha members and Rajya Sabha members have been asked to attend the meeting.
