D.K. Shivakumar is set to be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka on Wednesday at 4:05 pm in Bengaluru, concluding a period of power struggle within the Congress party, with senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi expected to attend the ceremony where approximately twelve ministers will also take their oath. While the final cabinet list is still being decided by the party high command after extensive consultations in Delhi between Shivakumar, outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and other leaders, Shivakumar himself has dismissed immediate speculation about ministerial appointments, stating that the names will be announced after 10 am on the day of the swearing-in. In parallel developments, Siddaramaiah has been appointed to the Congress Working Committee and reportedly declined a Rajya Sabha berth to remain active in Karnataka politics, while his son Yathindra and Mallikarjun Kharge's son Priyank Kharge are strong contenders for cabinet positions, with Priyank Kharge and G. Parameshwara considered for the deputy chief minister role, though Shivakumar is reportedly hesitant to appoint a deputy chief minister at this juncture. Further cabinet expansion is anticipated after June 18, following Rajya Sabha elections, as the selection of a new Karnataka Congress president, with Satish Jarkiholi being a frontrunner, is also on the agenda.

D.K. Shivakumar is set to be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka on Wednesday at 4:05 pm in Bengaluru, concluding a period of power struggle within the Congress party, with senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi expected to attend the ceremony where approximately twelve ministers will also take their oath. While the final cabinet list is still being decided by the party high command after extensive consultations in Delhi between Shivakumar, outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and other leaders, Shivakumar himself has dismissed immediate speculation about ministerial appointments, stating that the names will be announced after 10 am on the day of the swearing-in. In parallel developments, Siddaramaiah has been appointed to the Congress Working Committee and reportedly declined a Rajya Sabha berth to remain active in Karnataka politics, while his son Yathindra and Mallikarjun Kharge's son Priyank Kharge are strong contenders for cabinet positions, with Priyank Kharge and G. Parameshwara considered for the deputy chief minister role, though Shivakumar is reportedly hesitant to appoint a deputy chief minister at this juncture. Further cabinet expansion is anticipated after June 18, following Rajya Sabha elections, as the selection of a new Karnataka Congress president, with Satish Jarkiholi being a frontrunner, is also on the agenda.

D.K. Shivakumar is set to be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka on Wednesday at 4:05 pm in Bengaluru, concluding a period of power struggle within the Congress party, with senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi expected to attend the ceremony where approximately twelve ministers will also take their oath. While the final cabinet list is still being decided by the party high command after extensive consultations in Delhi between Shivakumar, outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and other leaders, Shivakumar himself has dismissed immediate speculation about ministerial appointments, stating that the names will be announced after 10 am on the day of the swearing-in. In parallel developments, Siddaramaiah has been appointed to the Congress Working Committee and reportedly declined a Rajya Sabha berth to remain active in Karnataka politics, while his son Yathindra and Mallikarjun Kharge's son Priyank Kharge are strong contenders for cabinet positions, with Priyank Kharge and G. Parameshwara considered for the deputy chief minister role, though Shivakumar is reportedly hesitant to appoint a deputy chief minister at this juncture. Further cabinet expansion is anticipated after June 18, following Rajya Sabha elections, as the selection of a new Karnataka Congress president, with Satish Jarkiholi being a frontrunner, is also on the agenda.

Senior Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar will be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka on Wednesday, days after his predecessor Siddaramaiah submitted his resignation, bringing to a close a prolonged power tussle in the southern state.

The swearing-in ceremony will be held at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru at 4.05 pm and is expected to be attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi. Around 12 Congress legislators are likely to take oath as ministers alongside Shivakumar, though suspense continues over the composition of the new cabinet.

On Tuesday, Shivakumar dismissed media speculation over the likely ministerial appointments, saying the final list would be announced by the Congress high command after consultations.

"Tomorrow, after 10 am, I will receive the names," he said.

Both Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah spent the past two days in Delhi, where the party leadership held a series of discussions to finalise cabinet berths and appointments to key organisational posts.

"All of us have discussed the matter together, and we have conveyed our respective opinions. They (the party high command) will take a final decision and inform us," Shivakumar told reporters at Bengaluru airport upon his return from the national capital.

Meanwhile, the Congress named Siddaramaiah to the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's highest decision-making body. The outgoing chief minister was also reportedly offered a Rajya Sabha berth, but sources said he preferred to continue as an MLA and remain actively involved in Karnataka politics.

Siddaramaiah's son Yathindra and Mallikarjun Kharge's son Priyank Kharge are among those expected to find a place in the new cabinet. Priyank Kharge and G. Parameshwara, both prominent Dalit leaders, are considered strong contenders for the deputy chief minister's post.

However, a PTI report, citing sources, said Shivakumar is not in favour of appointing a deputy chief minister at this stage, fearing it could create another power centre within the government.

Among the frontrunners for cabinet positions are Krishna Byre Gowda and Dinesh Gundu Rao, along with senior Muslim leader U.T. Khader, who currently serves as Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly. At least one woman is also expected to be inducted into the ministry.

Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Congress president, was officially chosen as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party on May 30. The next key task for the party high command will be to appoint his successor as state party chief. Senior MLA and former minister Satish Jarkiholi is considered a leading contender, though he is reportedly aiming for both a cabinet position and the organisational role.

Meanwhile, Congress MLA T.B. Jayachandra told ANI that a cabinet expansion is likely after June 18, once the Rajya Sabha elections are completed.

"The high command has finalised that D.K. Shivakumar will take over as the Chief Minister. I am told that the first batch of ministers is likely to take oath along with him. With the Legislative Council and Rajya Sabha elections continuing until June 18, the second phase of cabinet formation is likely only after that. Only then will there be a full-fledged government," he said.

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