Siddaramaiah to retain CM bungalow, DK Shivakumar will move to another govt house
Siddaramaiah will continue in the Cauvery bungalow even as DK Shivakumar takes over as Chief Minister. The arrangement leaves the official residence unchanged while the new Chief Minister shifts to another government house.
A unique housing arrangement has emerged in Karnataka amid an impending leadership transition. While the state's longest-serving Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, is resigning to pave the way for DK Shivakumar to take over the top post, there will be no change in the occupancy of Cauvery, the official bungalow traditionally allotted to the sitting Chief Minister.
According to sources, the two top leaders have mutually reached an amicable agreement regarding the official residence. Under this understanding, the outgoing Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, is expected to formally retain and continue his stay in the Cauvery bungalow until the year 2028.
Consequently, the incoming Chief Minister, DK Shivakumar, will initially operate and stay at his own private residence. At a later date, he will relocate his official base to another suitable, government-allotted property instead of moving into the traditional CM house.
This unusual housing arrangement is not entirely unprecedented in Karnataka's political history. A nearly identical situation occurred back in 2021, when BS Yediyurappa, the tallest Lingayat leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), resigned from the Chief Minister's post but chose to continue living in the official bungalow long after stepping down from office.
DK SHIVAKUMAR TO TAKE OATH TOMORROW
After a long wait, DK Shivakumar will take the oath as the state’s 25th Chief Minister tomorrow in the Lok Bhavan.
The CM-designate earlier announced that the swearing-in ceremony would be a low-key affair, citing traffic concerns in Bengaluru.
“We have decided to have a low-key swearing-in function at Lok Bhavan to avoid chaos in Bengaluru. We also have to help the common people,” he said.
“Since it is a working day, we do not want chaos in Bengaluru city. More than 17,000 vehicles have already been booked to bring party workers and supporters to the capital. Police officers were worried about traffic disruption and public grievances,” he added.