BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is all set to have an office parallel to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s, just outside the Legislative Assembly Chamber at Vidhana Soudha.
Shivakumar’s new office will be on the first floor of the west side of Vidhana Soudha gate, from where all legislators, the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues enter the House. In fact, both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have their offices on the third floor. While the CM’s is on the west, facing former chief minister Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s statue, the DyCM’s is on the east that faces the Karnataka High Court.
For decades, chief ministers have had the privilege of occupying an additional office on the first floor outside the Assembly chamber so that they can make themselves comfortable, attend to bureaucrats and MLAs, especially during assembly sessions.
But no deputy chief ministers in the past had their office just outside the Assembly chamber. This time, however, Shivakumar is insisting that he too have an office there so that he can attend to his bureaucrats and MLAs, sources told The New Indian Express.
“Shivakumar has asked officials to furnish the room on the left corner of the Assembly chamber, which is now occupied by an undersecretary-level officer,” they added.