Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar was on Saturday unanimously elected as the new leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), paving the way for him to take oath as the next Chief Minister of the state on June 3.
Announcing the decision after the CLP meeting in Bengaluru, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said the party high command had proposed Shivakumar's name for the top post.
"Congress high command suggested the name of D K Shivakumar as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party. Siddaramaiah ji proposed the name, Dr G Parameshwar seconded it, and the CLP unanimously accepted it," Venugopal said, formally announcing Shivakumar's election as leader of the Karnataka Legislature Party.
Meanwhile, the party's state unit working president and Rajya Sabha MP GC Chandrashekhar said the event will be held at the Glass House in Lok Bhavan, Bengaluru.
Addressing a press conference, Chandrashekhar said there was initial uncertainty over the venue, with discussions taking place on holding the ceremony at Raj Bhavan. However, it was subsequently decided that the oath-taking function would be organised at the Glass House in Lok Bhavan.
"The swearing-in ceremony will take place on June 3. The exact timing will be finalised and announced later," he said.
Chandrashekhar said the party had considered arranging between 10,000 and 15,000 buses to bring supporters from across Karnataka to Bengaluru for the event. However, the proposal was dropped in view of the ongoing fuel crisis and concerns over traffic congestion in the city.
He stressed that the grand old party's leadership wanted the ceremony to remain simple and dignified rather than a grand public spectacle.
"The swearing-in ceremony should not be extravagant. It should reflect a spirit of work and service rather than display or pomp. The party has decided that the event should be conducted in a simple manner," Chandrashekhar said.
Appealing to party workers and supporters, he urged them not to crowd the venue and to cooperate with authorities to ensure smooth traffic movement and avoid inconvenience to the public.
Shivakumar's unanimous election as CLP leader formally clears the way for him to assume office as Karnataka's next Chief Minister, ending days of speculation over the party's leadership choice following its victory in the Assembly elections.
