NEW DELHI: Congress leadership sought to project a message of unity and smooth transition in Karnataka on Wednesday as DK Shivakumar took oath as the state’s new chief minister. With Constitution in one hand, Shivakumar took the oath while sharing the stage with outgoing chief minister Siddaramaiah, alongside the party’s top brass.The swearing-in ceremony, attended by Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, chief ministers from Congress-ruled states and other senior party functionaries, marked the end of months of speculation over a leadership change in Karnataka. The attendees included Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Kerala CM VD Satheesan, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, along with senior leaders like Gaurav Gogoi and KC Venugopal.In a move seen as balancing the transition, the Congress on Tuesday appointed Siddaramaiah to the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s highest decision-making body.The appointment came just days after Siddaramaiah stepped down as chief minister, ending a record tenure of more than eight years across two stints in office. It also came on the eve of Shivakumar’s swearing-in, signalling the party leadership’s effort to accommodate both leaders and maintain organisational unity. The rivalry between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar dates back to the Congress’s victory in the May 2023 Karnataka assembly elections. According to party sources, an informal power-sharing arrangement had been worked out at the time under which Siddaramaiah would lead the government initially, while Shivakumar, who played a key role in the party’s electoral success and serves as Karnataka Congress president, would take over midway through the five-year term.However, uncertainty persisted after Siddaramaiah remained in office beyond the first two-and-a-half years of the government’s tenure, fuelling speculation about whether the transition would take place. The issue prompted multiple rounds of consultations between the two leaders and the Congress high command in New Delhi.Last week, the party leadership finally moved to resolve the impasse, deciding to honour its reported commitment to Shivakumar and facilitate a change of guard in Bengaluru.The leadership transition elevates Shivakumar to the top post after years of being regarded as one of the Congress’s most influential leaders in Karnataka. G Parameshwara took oath as the deputy chief minister of Karnataka. 12 legislators, most of whom were ministers in the previous Siddaramaiah-led government also took oath.
