Peppering his first media address with well-thought-out punchlines, Shivakumar’s first day in the sun was full of subtle messaging and substantial announcements, centering around youngsters who dominated the thinking behind his initial announcements. After the meeting, Shivakumar announced six initiatives, centered around youngsters, farmers, reforms and governance, emphasising ‘Yuva Yuga’, or new generation. The Congress party has largely relied on its flagship guarantees since its first day in office. The pressure was high on Shivakumar, however, to move beyond the rhetoric of guarantees–associated with his predecessor Siddaramaiah–and carve out a place of his own. Free bus passes for all students in the state, establishing a private employment exchange, setting up youth organisations, one-time relaxation for home-owners, conversion of property papers and an additional Rs 2,000 crore to fix the dilapidated condition of Bengaluru roads. Additionally, Shivakumar promised a big announcement for farmers, making up for the fact that there are no women in his Cabinet yet. Shivakumar made a targeted outreach to a diverse section of society, trying to project his vision over the image he has of a businessman, tactful politician and ruthless leader. Also Read: Shivakumar sworn in as new Karnataka CM. Siddaramaiah’s son, many loyalists in his 13-member team Shivakumar’s first announcement was free bus passes for all students in the state. Since the launch of Shakthi (free public bus rides for women), there have been frequent questions about why these initiatives excluded men. “Every time I interacted with students, the boys asked me about bus passes stating that the government has allowed girls to move around for free. What happens to us?” he said. The chief minister said he is yet to name the scheme but announced that it will apply to all students in the state, including those pursuing higher education. The second was to fix the problem of unemployment by setting up a private employment exchange that would give youngsters an opportunity to think beyond government jobs. The third is setting up 10,000 units of Bharat Jodo Yuvakara Sangha (loosely translated to Bharat Jodo Youth Associations) that would encourage sports, cultural activities among youngsters to help identify and nurture leadership qualities in them. Shivakumar even promised to set aside Rs 1,000 crore (Rs 10 lakh per unit) for the new initiative. Naming the scheme after Rahul Gandhi’s country-wide march was the kicker. Shivakumar also said that he would stem growing migration from rural areas to urban settings for employment and education. ನಾಡಿನ ಸರ್ವತೋಮುಖ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿಯೇ ನಮ್ಮ ಧ್ಯೇಯ! ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿಗೆ ಹೊಸ ವೇಗ ನೀಡುವ ಸಂಕಲ್ಪದೊಂದಿಗೆ, ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿಯಾಗಿ ಅಧಿಕಾರ ವಹಿಸಿಕೊಂಡ ಬೆನ್ನಲ್ಲೇ ಮೊದಲ ಸಚಿವ ಸಂಪುಟ ಸಭೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹಲವು ಮಹತ್ವದ ನಿರ್ಣಯಗಳನ್ನು ಕೈಗೊಳ್ಳಲಾಗಿದೆ. – ಶಾಲಾ-ಕಾಲೇಜು ವಿದ್ಯಾರ್ಥಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಉಚಿತ ಬಸ್ ಪಾಸ್ ಘೋಷಣೆ. – 56,000 ಹುದ್ದೆಗಳ ಭರ್ತಿಗೆ… pic.twitter.com/f6pTeqBXja — DK Shivakumar (DKShivakumar) June 4, 2026 First-time voters and impressionable students, whose aspirations and expectations differ from older voters, have become a key focus area for political parties. Actor-turned-politician Vijay Joseph’s victory in Tamil Nadu is largely credited to Gen Z voters. More recently, the way the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has captured the imagination of the young underlines this trend . As a relatively younger leader, Shivakumar has a large following among youngsters who have witnessed his rise from a student leader to the state’s highest office. The announcements bolster the Congress’s initiatives aimed at youngsters especially when the state unit of the party is trying to infuse fresh blood into the youth wing and resume elections in educational institutions after nearly four decades. “From 1985 until now, I have seen hardship, and I have seen comfort. I experienced power at a young age. I fell into the trap of many political machinations. A situation arose where I had to go to Tihar Jail. I never lost heart. I lived on hope. This same faith has again given me the opportunity to serve the people of the state and to leave behind a mark,” Shivakumar said. Although complex caste equations remain key to cracking Karnataka’s politics, catering to the aspirations of youngsters has gained significance. Shivakumar also tried to neutralise his caste identity for a larger outreach, stating that he has set aside his beliefs and placed faith in the “religion of humanity”. Also Read: Siddaramaiah’s resignation without drama doesn’t guarantee stability in Karnataka politics Fully aware of the challenges he faces with Bengaluru, Shivakumar also announced an additional Rs 2,000 crore to fix the city’s pothole-laden roads. With Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) elections around the corner, Shivakumar is being mindful of his earlier confrontational approach, softening his stand towards rising criticism. His performance in the GBA elections is likely to be Shivakumar’s first real test as the city’s 14 million residents, including prominent industry captains like Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and T.V. Mohandas Pai have not held back in pulling up the government over civic issues. With no elected council in Bengaluru since September 2020, Shivakumar has had a free hand in India’s infotech capital, giving him no wiggle room to escape criticism. A. Narayana, a Bengaluru-based political analyst and faculty member at Azim Premji University, told ThePrint that Shivakumar had a free hand with the Bengaluru development portfolio but did not have any positive impact on perception or convince the public of his intentions. “The first thing for him to do is to give the portfolio to somebody else rather than continue,” he said. “The new Bengaluru development minister will have a tough task on his hands,” Narayana said. Shivakumar has also announced a ‘one-time offer’ of occupancy certificate exemption for getting electricity connection for home owners. He also announced that simplifying laws and regulations across the state to facilitate eligible properties from B-Khata to A-Khata was more to do with addressing grievances over regularisation of property papers for home-owners. Before the swearing-in ceremony, Shivakumar spent a good amount of time meeting and greeting his guests. He fell at the feet of prominent seers, sought the blessings of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murthy, hugged filmstars, businessmen and every big name in the audience. If one didn’t know any better, it would have appeared like Shivakumar was greeting guests at a wedding. Perhaps the most important message came from his daughter Aishwarya. “Because of power, his responsibility has also gone up,” Aishwarya Hegde told TV9. When asked what the state can expect from the new chief minister, she said, “We are also just as hopeful. We are also the people of this state. All have seen the hardship he has faced. We believe that he has to work much harder to serve the people and state.” (Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya) Also Read: DK Shivakumar—the ‘Rock’ at the door of power. What it means for Karnataka and Congress
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