A sea of supporters greets D.K. Shivakumar as he takes oath as Chief Minister

By the time Chief Minister-designate D.K. Shivakumar arrived at Lok Bhavan’s Glass House on Wednesday evening to take oath as Karnataka’s 34th Chief Minister, central Bengaluru had already transformed into a sea of Congress flags, cut-outs, banners and supporters eager to witness a political journey decades in the making reach its defining moment.

Roads leading to Lok Bhavan were choked with traffic from the afternoon as party workers, elected representatives, supporters and invitees streamed towards the venue. At the same time, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Metro Station (Vidhana Soudha) witnessed heavy footfall as supporters flocked to attend the swearing-in ceremony. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) officials said that they had anticipated the surge at both Vidhana Soudha and Cubbon Park stations and had deployed additional staff, along with police personnel, to manage the crowds.

Major gathering

Though initially described as a simple and austere swearing-in ceremony, the event quickly assumed the proportions of a major political gathering, with the Glass House packed to capacity well before the scheduled time.

Across the city, particularly along major thoroughfares, flexes and banners congratulating Mr. Shivakumar dominated the skyline. Large crowds of supporters, many from his home constituency of Kanakapura and other parts of Bengaluru South, watched the proceedings on giant screens and through live telecasts, treating the occasion as a celebration of one of their own reaching the State’s highest political office.

For Congress workers, the moment represented the culmination of a long political journey for a leader who rose through the ranks from student politics to become one of the party’s most influential figures in Karnataka.