DKS elected CLP leader ; Swearing-in of new CM on June 3
BENGALURU, May 30: Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Saturday invited the newly elected CLP leader D K Shivakumar, to take oath as the chief minister of the state along with team members on June 3.
The invitation followed Shivakumar’s meeting with the Governor at Lok Bhavan, where he staked his claim to form a new government.
Shivakumar was accompanied by outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other senior state leaders.
“I am in receipt of your letter dated 30th May, 2026, staking a claim to form the government. I invite you to take oath as the Chief Minister of Karnataka along with team members,” the Governor said in a letter to Shivakumar.
The oath ceremony will take place at 4:05 PM on June 3, 2026, on the Lok Bhavan premises, the letter stated.
Earlier, Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress president, was elected leader of the legislature party, paving the way for him to take over as the next chief minister of the state.
In his letter to the Governor staking his claim, Shivakumar stated that the Karnataka CLP consisting of 135 members of the Indian National Congress, 2 associated members and 1 Raita Sangha MLA, had unanimously elected him as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party.
He requested the Governor to administer the oath to him as Chief Minister and to the others as the Council of Ministers.
Shivakumar previously served as the Deputy Chief Minister in the Siddaramaiah government.
Siddaramaiah resigned as Chief Minister on Thursday and Governor Gehlot accepted his resignation the next day and dissolved the Council of Ministers.
BJP ATTACKS CONGRESS
The BJP on Saturday took a swipe at the Congress after Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar was elected leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), asking whether the change would alter the “character” of the government which has been mired in “corruption” or whether it merely amounts to a “change of face”.
The remarks came after senior Congress leader and outgoing chief minister Siddaramaiah proposed Shivakumar’s name as the new CLP leader at a meeting held at the Vidhan Soudha in Bengaluru, paving the way for him to take over as Karnataka’s next chief minister.
In a video statement, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the leadership change reflects the Congress’ acknowledgement that Siddaramaiah’s governance has failed on multiple fronts.
“After two-and-a-half to three years of ‘Game of Thrones’, the ‘battle for the chair’ and ‘who will become the chief minister’, the Karnataka Congress has chosen a new CLP leader in the form of D K Shivakumar and replaced Siddaramaiah. It means they are acknowledging that Siddaramaiah’s governance has been a complete failure on all fronts — economy, law and order, and infrastructure,” Poonawalla said.“Therefore, they have had to replace him. Otherwise, 2028 (assembly elections) is gone,” he added.
He also claimed that while Siddaramaiah enjoys greater support among the Congress MLAs, Shivakumar’s “money power” has prevailed. (PTI)
