NEW DELHI/BENGALURU: The stage is set for the swearing-in of 64-year-old DK Shivakumar as the 18th chief minister of Karnataka at 4.05pm on Wednesday along with 10 to 15 ministers, sources said. The swearing-in ceremony will be held at Lok Bhavan’s Glass House where the oaths will be administered by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot.
The grand ceremony follows a day after Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah held extensive discussions on Tuesday with AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress General Secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal and AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala, to finalise the composition of the new cabinet.
The meeting saw the Congress high command weighing in various options to ensure equitable distribution of ministerial berths for loyalists of Shivakumar, Kharge and Siddaramaiah. It was last Thursday that Siddaramaiah vacated the CM’s chair after a marathon meeting in New Delhi and the message that he had to hand over the gaddi was conveyed to him by Rahul.
Among those likely to be inducted into the cabinet are KJ George, Dr G Parameshwara, Ramalinga Reddy, Krishna Byregowda, UT Khader, Mallanagouda Basanagouda Patil, Satish Jarkiholi, Priyank Kharge, Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Laxmi Hebbalkar and either KH Muniyappa or his daughter Roopakala Shashidhar. Some sources said Hebbalkar may not make the cut in the first list.
The names of former ministers Dinesh Gundu Rao and Eshwar Khandre are also doing the rounds.
Who will make it to DKS sarkara?
The list figures some key members of the outgoing ministry who are considered close to Siddaramaiah. Satish Jarkiholi is likely to be made KPCC president and will also likely be given a ministerial berth, sources said.
The alleged audio leak seems to have spoiled the chances of former minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, sources said.
It was speculated that Parameshwara – who was home minister in the Siddaramaiah government – may be considered for the deputy chief minister’s (DCM) post. Though there was a proposal for two DCMs, there was no clarity on it.
The sanctioned strength of Karnataka’s ministry is 34, including the CM. As far the first list, the party high command has only struck a caste and regional balance. The remaining vacancies are likely to be filled after the June 18 polls to four Rajya Sabha and seven Legislative Council seats, which will give way to further negotiations and demands for inclusion by various ministerial aspirants. However, several ministers from the previous cabinet may not be retained when the ministry is expanded in the next phase, the sources added.
Intense lobbying was witnessed among ministerial aspirants over the last couple of days, with many travelling to the capital to push their case before the high command.
Shivakumar will be CM for the remaining term of one year and ten months, up to the 2028 Assembly polls.
The oath-taking ceremony is expected to draw senior Congress leaders from across the country, including the party high command, chief ministers from Congress-ruled states, and leaders from alliance partners.
The deeply religious Shivakumar, who vows by the dictum that ‘efforts may fail but not the prayers’, has deep faith in his deity ‘Ajjayya Swamy’ to bring good fortune and is likely to take oath in the deity’s name. He has also insisted on the presence of prominent religious heads of all faiths from across the state at the ceremony and to bless him on the occasion. Though invitations were limited to attend the ceremony at Lok Bhavan, thousands of party workers are expected to arrive in the city.
Meanwhile, the silicon valley of India, Bengaluru, is all decked up to witness its poster boy acquiring the top job. Some business honchos are already comparing Shivakumar with former CM, late S M Krishna, over giving impetus to Bengaluru’s development on the lines of Singapore.
Big announcements?
Shivakumar is likely to make some big announcements for the people of the state immediately after taking over as CM. They include ‘vidhyarthi ratha’, a dedicated free bus service for students who were complaining of inconvenience to travel in KSRTC buses due to huge rush because of ‘Shakti’ guarantee scheme, Rs 1 per litre incentive for dairy farmers, and a job guarantee for the youth by announcing a time-bound recruitment to fill the vacancies in the government, sources said.
In 2013, soon after taking over as chief minister, Siddaramaiah had announced ‘Anna Bhagya’, earning him the moniker ‘Annaramaiah’.
