Published Jun 03, 2026 | 12:46 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 03, 2026 | 1:41 PM
DK Shivakumar. (X)
Synopsis: DK Shivakumar is set to take the oath as the 18th Chief Minister of Karnataka on 18 June. According to sources, 13 MLAs will take the oath as ministers along with Shivakumar. The Cabinet is expected to include a mix of communities across caste groups in an attempt to ensure broad representation, given that Shivakumar belongs to the dominant Vokkaliga community.
Senior Congress leader DK Shivakumar will take oath as the 18th Chief Minister of Karnataka on Wednesday, 3 June. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Shivakumar at the Glass House on the sprawling Lok Bhavan premises at 4.05 pm on Wednesday.
Along with Shivakumar, G Parameshwara will take the oath as the Deputy Chief Minister.
South First has also accessed the list sent to the Governor’s office with names of 13 MLAs who will take the oath as ministers.
Shivakumar is not likely to fill all 34 Cabinet berths, as the Congress party has yet to finalise all ministers. The change of guard in the Karnataka government has been viewed as one signalling a generational shift.
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The Cabinet is expected to include a mix of communities across caste groups in an attempt to ensure broad representation, given that Shivakumar belongs to the dominant Vokkaliga community.
The ministers who will be sworn in on Wednesday include three from the Scheduled Caste (SC) communities, one from the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community, and two minority leaders. They also include three Lingayat MLAs, two Kuruba MLAs, one Vokkaliga MLA, and one MLA from the Reddy community.
Sources from within the Congress party said that G Parameshwara (SC Right), KJ George (Christian), MB Patil (Lingayat), Satish Jarkiholi (ST), Krishna Byre Gowda (Vokkaliga), UT Khader (Muslim), Ramalinga Reddy (Reddy), Priyank Kharge (SC Right), Yathindra Siddaramaiah (Kuruba), Sharan Prakash Patil (Lingayat), Byarthi Suresh (Kuruba), KH Muniyappa (SC Left) and Eshwar Chandre (Lingayat) will take oath as ministers along with Shivakumar.
Representation for Backward Classes, Dalits, and minorities became crucial, given that former chief minister Siddaramaiah was regarded as a champion of AHINDA (the Kannada acronym for Backward Classes, Dalits, and minorities).
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Meanwhile, the discussion over the selection of a new KPCC president is also underway. The party is reportedly keen on a young AHINDA leader to replace Shivakumar, who has been holding the responsibilities of the deputy chief minister and the KPCC chief. The Congress party is now keen on implementing the “one man, one post” norm.
On 19 November 2025, Shivakumar had said that he couldn’t be the Karnataka Congress president forever, but would continue to be in the “front line”.
Dalit leader Satish Jarkiholi was the forerunner to the post of KPCC president until last week. He had the support of both Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah camps. However, the party is now looking beyond Jarkiholi after he reportedly insisted on both holding the Cabinet berth and helming the party’s state unit.
MLC BK Hariprasad, a BC leader from the Ediga community, was also considered for the KPCC chief post.
The Shivakumar-led Cabinet will be in office for the remaining two years of the Congress government’s five-year term. Siddaramaiah resigned from the post of Chief Minister on 28 May, two days after the party high command asked him to make way for the future. The Congress Legislature Party elected Shivakumar as its leader on 30 May.
