BENGALURU: D K Shivakumar’s long-cherished ambition was realised Wednesday as he took oath as the 24th CM of Karnataka at Lok Bhavan, with his new cabinet reflecting a careful balance of caste and regional dynamics while carrying a distinct imprint of his predecessor, Siddaramaiah. Prominent Dalit face G Parameshwara was sworn in as the deputy CM. Twelve other ministers, several of whom are close aides of Siddaramaiah, were inducted in the initial phase. Among them is the former CM’s son, Yathindra Siddaramaiah. MLC B K Hariprasad found himself the centre of attention during the ceremony, with several party colleagues congratulating him amid a strong buzz that he could be the next KPCC president, the official announcement of which came a few hours later.Free students pass, portal for private jobs, 2k-cr for roadsSoon after taking charge, Shivakumar chaired his first cabinet meeting and announced a series of initiatives focused on youth welfare, infrastructure, and employment, positioning the new administration’s agenda around what he called a ‘yuva yuga’ (youth era).The decisions include free bus passes for all students, from school to postgraduation; establishment of a private employment exchange; publication of a govt job vacancies calendar with recruitment timelines; establishment of 10,000 Bharat Jodo youth clubs across the state; a Rs 2,000-crore road repair programme; and relaxation of building norms for select residential constructions.The swearing-in ceremony was steeped in religious symbolism and cultural traditions, with Shivakumar taking oath in the name of Veera Gangadhara Ajjayya, a revered Shaiva saint from Tumakuru district, while holding a copy of the Constitution.The initial cabinet reflects a calculated attempt at social engineering, but no women were inducted. In terms of caste representation, three ministers each have been drawn from the politically dominant Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities, as well as SCs. The Kuruba community secured two berths, while the STs, Christian and Muslim communities got one berth each.With the state’s total sanctioned ministry strength standing at 34, a cabinet expansion is expected to take place after the June 18 Rajya Sabha elections.The event served as a major show of strength for Congress, drawing top national brass, including AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, and the chief ministers of Telangana, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala. The ceremony also drew a star-studded crowd from Bengaluru’s corporate, legal, cultural and sports fraternities.