Bengaluru, May 30 (IANS) The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Saturday announced that the swearing-in ceremony of KPCC President D.K. Shivakumar as the next Chief Minister of Karnataka will be held on June 3 at the Glass House in Lok Bhavan.

The announcement came ahead of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Addressing a joint emergency press conference at the party office, KPCC Working President and Rajya Sabha member G.C. Chandrashekar said the party had decided to keep the event simple and avoid inconvenience to the public.

He said the welfare guarantee schemes introduced under Siddaramaiah’s leadership had become popular among the people. “It is the aspiration of all of us and of the party that D.K. Shivakumar should continue the good work and carry forward these initiatives. With that objective in mind, we have decided to keep the swearing-in ceremony simple,” he said.

“There has been a lot of speculation in the media regarding the swearing-in ceremony. The party has now decided that D.K. Shivakumar will take oath as Chief Minister on June 3. The event will be held at the Glass House in Raj Bhavan,” Chandrashekar said.

He revealed that supporters of Shivakumar had planned to arrange nearly 1,000 buses to bring people to Bengaluru for the ceremony. However, the party decided against large-scale mobilisation, considering that June 3 is a working day.

“Since it is a working day, we do not want people in Bengaluru to face inconvenience. The ceremony should not be pompous. It should be a simple event that reflects the party’s commitment to public service. Therefore, we have instructed party workers and supporters not to organise large gatherings,” he said.

Chandrashekar appealed to Congress workers and Shivakumar’s supporters across the state not to travel to Bengaluru for the event.

“We request party workers and Shivakumar’s admirers not to come to Bengaluru for the swearing-in ceremony. Please cooperate in ensuring that normal life is not disrupted and that the event becomes a model swearing-in ceremony. The function should be as simple as possible and conducted in a manner that earns the appreciation of the people,” he said.

He added that after taking the oath, Shivakumar would travel across Karnataka and meet party workers and the public in their respective districts.

“After assuming office, the Chief Minister will visit district headquarters across the state and seek the blessings of the people and party workers. Since he will be coming to your districts, there is no need to travel to Bengaluru for the swearing-in ceremony,” Chandrashekar said.

He also clarified that no passes would be issued to party workers for the event and urged supporters to avoid creating any inconvenience or disturbance.

“This is a request from the party to all supporters and workers. There should be no nuisance or disruption. We discussed this proposal with D.K. Shivakumar, and he agreed to it wholeheartedly,” he said.

Referring to the Congress government’s achievements under Siddaramaiah, Chandrashekar said the party expected Shivakumar to continue the welfare programmes introduced during the outgoing Chief Minister’s tenure.

“Over the last three years, Siddaramaiah’s government has implemented several popular programmes. The party’s objective is to ensure that these initiatives continue under Shivakumar’s leadership,” he said.

On the formation of the new cabinet, Chandrashekar said no decision had yet been taken regarding the number of ministers who would be sworn in alongside the Chief Minister.

“After Shivakumar is elected as the Congress Legislature Party leader and Siddaramaiah formally hands over the leadership, the party will decide on the composition of the new cabinet. No discussions have been held so far on how many ministers will take the oath. There is still time before the swearing-in ceremony, and everyone will abide by the party’s decision,” he said.

–IANS

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