Shivakumar Sworn In As New Karnataka CM. Siddaramaiah’S Son, Many Loyalists In His 13-Member Team

Taking a leaf from Rahul, Shivakumar held the Constitution on one hand and took his oath in the name of his spirtual guru, Veera Gangadhara Ajjaya. ಕರ್ಮಣ್ಯೇವಾಧಿಕಾರಸ್ತೇ ಮಾ ಫಲೇಷು ಕದಾಚನ |ಮಾ ಕರ್ಮಫಲಹೇತುರ್ಭೂರ್ ಮಾ ತೇ ಸಂಗೋಸ್ತ್ವ ಕರ್ಮಣಿ || pic.twitter.com/VElVFR1U3M — DK Shivakumar (DKShivakumar) June 3, 2026 Siddaramaiah’s son Yathindra took oath as a minister in the Shivakumar-led government. The composition of the Cabinet so far shows a Siddaramaiah imprint with many of his loyalists retaining and finding place in it. Apart from Shivakumar, 13 others also took oath and will be part of the newly constituted cabinet. He can induct up to 20 more ministers later. The Congress party has maintained that the first list comprises senior members to ensure continuity in governance and a smooth transition of power. Parameshwara, a party veteran and a prominent leader of the Scheduled Caste (Right) faction of the Dalit community, will be Shivakumar’s sole deputy in the first list. According to people aware of the developments, Siddaramaiah convinced the Congress high command to make Parameshwara the Deputy Chief Minister. Siddaramaiah had earlier projected Parameshwara as his replacement and argued in favour of the ‘Dalit CM’ narrative. K.J. George, U.T. Khader, K.H. Muniyappa, Ramalinga Reddy, M.B. Patil, Satish Jharkiholi, Eshwar Khandre, Priyank Kharge, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Krishna Byre Gowda, Byrathi Suresh and Sharan Prakash Patil also took oath as ministers. The list shows an overwhelming influence of Siddaramaiah in Shivakumar’s Cabinet, suggesting that the 77-year-old retains significant power despite losing his position as the chief minister. Yathindra, a one-time MLA and incumbent MLC, has been accommodated to placate the former chief minister. Similarly, George, Jharkiholi and M.B. Patil, Suresh are among the seniors from Karnataka who backed Siddaramaiah’s bid to continue as chief minister for the full five-year term and are seen as loyalists. More importantly, they did not back Shivakumar’s bid to replace Siddaramaiah. Khader, who served as speaker of the Karnataka Assembly and is believed to be close to Siddaramaiah, returns to the Cabinet. Priyank is the son of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge. Patil is from Kharge’s Kalyana Karnataka region and is likely the AICC’s president’s choice. One of the senior-most Congress leaders in Karnataka, Ramalinga Reddy, is Shivakumar’s choice and is key to the impending Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) elections for controlling the city’s civic body. Senior leader Muniyappa is a member of the SC-Left, who has maintained good ties with both leaders. Eshwar Khandre is from the Kalyana Karnataka region but more importantly, he is the incumbent president of the All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, which represents one of the most dominant and politically powerful groups in the southern state. The Congress’s decision only to induct 13 members to the Cabinet is the same playbook the party followed three years ago when Siddaramaiah took oath, i.e. inducting members representing various prominent caste groups and regions. Initially, Shivakumar will have three Vokkaligas, including the CM himself, two from Scheduled Caste communities and one from Scheduled Tribe, three each from the dominant Lingayats and communities classified as backward classes. Khader and George are from minority communities. Notably, there are no women in the existing list. The remaining berths are expected to be filled up in the coming days as MLAs continue to make their case before the high command. However, political analysts suggest that the heavy presence of Siddaramaiah’s backers in the new cabinet could potentially create multiple power centres, potentially undermining the new CM’s authority.