Bengaluru, Oct. 31 – Amid buzz over change of guard in the State, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar is likely to succeed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

If the sources are to be believed, Shivakumar may take oath as the 34th CM of Karnataka either on Nov. 21 or 26.

That Shivakumar being a theist, the head of a Mutt in Tumakuru district, whom Shivakumar strongly believes in, has fixed the auspicious time for the schedule, marking four different dates including Nov. 21 and 26, to assume office as CM.

Siddaramaiah, as a CM will be completing two-and-a-half years in office on Nov. 20, lending credence to the rumours about the power sharing pact reached between the two top leaders, when the party rose to power with a resounding majority in 2023 Assembly elections.

As the days of transition of power draws closer, Shivakumar is moving cards close to his chest, meeting the top brass of the party in New Delhi, in the name of personal engagements, twice or thrice, in the last two months.

Following the assurance of Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other top leaders, the much relieved Shivakumar is preparing ground to fulfil his long awaited dream of adorning the CM’s chair. About two to three days back, Shivakumar had air dashed to Delhi, which has further cemented the possibilities of change in power corridors.

Interestingly, the profile of Shivakumar, in English, has been shared on his social media handles yesterday. With the second and final phase of elections for Bihar Legislative Assembly scheduled on Nov. 11, Shivakumar will be leaving for Delhi, same day, during which, the leaders of the party will be returning to Delhi, only to take a call on the much discussed change of guard in Karnataka.

Meanwhile, All India Congress Committee (AICC) President M. Mallikarjun Kharge, has decided to accommodate new faces into the Cabinet, giving a go by to most of the Ministers in CM Siddaramaiah’s Cabinet, that has left many fuming. Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda’s recent revelation, expressing his intent to step down, has only dropped the hint over the changes in political conditions.

Not withstanding the power tussle, the CM’s supporters have already launched a campaign to see to it that, Siddaramaiah completes his full term in office for five years. However, only time will tell, whether Siddaramaiah’s political wizardry will come to his rescue or that of Shivakumar’s behind the screen tactics, that he has been at, ever since the party stormed back into power, in a close-knit fight with ruling BJP in the previous Assembly elections.