The new Chief Minister of Karnataka is expected to be D. K. Shivakumar who will be sworn into office on June 3 after months of speculations and intense debate within the Congress party. His elevation is a leadership change in the state and the uncertainty of the Congress party’s power-sharing arrangement ends now.
In Bengaluru, Shivakumar was unanimously elected as the Congress Legislature Party chief, paving the way for him to be elected as the top leader of the Congress in the State. After his election, he met the Governor M. Thaawarchand Gehlot, and formally claimed to form the new government.
The change follows Siddaramaiah’s resignation as chief minister, claiming to be following Congress high command’s wishes. One of Karnataka’s most influential leaders, Siddaramaiah had been heading the government since the party won the 2023 Assembly elections and became one of the state’s longest-serving chief ministers.
The change of guard has led to renewed speculations on the reported understanding between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar around sharing the Chief Minister’s mantle. Political watchers said that the agreement called for each leader to serve about two-and-a-half years in office.
In the meantime, there are reports of a possible cabinet reshuffle. Siddaramaiah’s son Yathindra Siddaramaiah has been suggested as a possible minister in the new government. But Yathindra has defied allegations that he was aiming to secure a cabinet slot for his father during the party’s talks.
The swearing-in ceremony is soon and now the focus is on who will be in Shivakumar’s government and the political equilibrium in the Congress government in Karnataka.