Bengaluru: After six months of wait, D K Shivakumar has taken oath as the 25th Chief Minister of Karnataka, along with his first installment of 13 cabinet ministers, including a Deputy Chief Minister.
The oath taking ceremony took place at Lok Bhavan on Wednesday evening at around 4.05 pm in the auspicious `Godhooli Lagna', where DK took oath in the name of `Nonavinakere Ajja', the deity he ardently believes in.
Along with him, former Home Minister Dr G Parameshwar took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister. The other prominent persons who took oath include the Karnataka Assembly Speaker U T Khader, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge's son Priyank Kharge, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's son Dr Yathindra.
Most of the ministers, other than Dr Yathindra were ministers in Siddaramaiah cabinet also. They include, M B Patil, Krishna Byre Gowda, K J George, Ramalinga Reddy, Sathish Jarkiholi, Sharan Prakash Patil, Eshwar Khandre, K H Muniyappa and Byrathi Suresh.
The party ensured that there was a proper caste balance in the cabinet, ensuring that there are three ministers each from Vokkaliga, Lingayat and Dalit communities, while one each from Christian, Muslim and from the backward class community.
Meanwhile, since U T Khader resigned as Assembly Speaker to take oath as the minister, Deputy Speaker Rudrappa Manappa Lamani has been asked to be in charge Speaker till the new Speaker is elected.
Since the Chief Ministerial post, which has only two years tenure, was highly contentious between Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar, the AICC has decided to move Siddaramaiah from interfering in the state government affairs by roping him to the Congress Working Committee. The other person who could be thorn in the flesh for Shivakumar was MLC B K Hariprasad, who has been asked to take over as new KPCC President, which is a sigh of relief for DK..
