DK Shivakumar has long carried image of corrupt politician, says BJP’s Jagadish Shettar

HUBBALLI: BJP MP Jagadish Shettar attacked his former party colleague DK Shivakumar, who is set to become the next Chief Minister of Karnataka saying that the latter has long carried the image of a “corrupt politician” ahead of his swearing-in ceremony, claiming that even outgoing CM Siddaramaiah had once kept him out of the state cabinet over corruption doubts.

Speaking to reporters, Shettar on on Tuesday questioned how a leader long associated with corruption allegations would handle the administration, warning that the state’s financial and governance systems face an uncertain future.

“One thing I do not understand is that DK Shivakumar has long carried the image of a corrupt politician. When Siddaramaiah first became the Chief Minister back in 2013, why did he initially keep DK Shivakumar out of his cabinet? It was because of the stance that no controversial politician should be in the cabinet. Following that principle, Siddaramaiah avoided making Shivakumar a cabinet minister for more than a year. It was only after the Congress high command’s insistence that he was finally inducted into the cabinet,” Shettar said.

#WATCH | Hubballi, Karnataka: BJP MP Jagadish Shettar says, “Mr. D.K. Shivakumar, following his long political struggle and aspirations, is going to take the oath tomorrow as the new Chief Minister of Karnataka. While his personal ambition is fulfilled, we have yet to see what… pic.twitter.com/UIGxbdm9zi

— ANI (@ANI) June 2, 2026

On the scheduled leadership transition in Karnataka, the BJP MP stated that while Shivakumar’s intense political struggle has finally yielded him the top post, it may come at a high cost to the state. “DK Shivakumar, following his long political struggle and aspirations, is going to take the oath tomorrow as the new Chief Minister of Karnataka. While his personal ambition is fulfilled, we have yet to see what the fate of Karnataka will be,” he added.

Shettar further alleged that Siddaramaiah’s tenure had already pushed Karnataka into a deep governance deficit, marked by unprecedented institutional corruption and deteriorating law and order. “Over the last few years under the leadership of Siddaramaiah, despite his reputation as an experienced administrator, the state governance entirely collapsed; corruption reached its peak compared to any previous government, law and order deteriorated, and the financial position worsened,” Shettar asserted.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi chaired a crucial meeting with Karnataka CM-designate DK Shivakumar and senior leader Siddaramaiah in Delhi today to finalise the state’s new Cabinet and the upcoming Rajya Sabha poll nominees.

The meeting at the party headquarters comes on the heels of Siddaramaiah’s resignation as Chief Minister, which officially set in motion the scheduled leadership transition, allowing Shivakumar to lead the state government. The swearing-in ceremony of Shivakumar as Chief Minister is scheduled to take place at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru on June 3 at 4 pm. (ANI)