Bengaluru Holiday Alert Tomorrow: Govt Declares Half-Day Holiday Ahead of D.K. Shivakumar's Oath-Taking Ceremo

The Karnataka government has announced a half-day holiday for employees working in and around the Vidhana Soudha complex on June 3 as preparations gather pace for the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Minister-designate D.K. Shivakumar.

According to an official government order, offices located in Vidhana Soudha, Vikasa Soudha and the Multi-Storeyed (MS) Building will remain closed during the afternoon session on Wednesday. The decision has been taken in view of the anticipated crowd movement, traffic congestion and heightened security arrangements surrounding the oath-taking ceremony.

D.K. Shivakumar's Swearing-In Ceremony Details

The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to take place at 4:05 PM on June 3, a major political transition in Karnataka. D.K. Shivakumar was recently elected as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), to become Karnataka's next Chief Minister after the leadership change from Siddaramaiah. The veteran leader, who currently serves as Karnataka Congress president and has held the position of Deputy Chief Minister, is set to become Karnataka's 25th Chief Minister.

In its notification, the state government said a large gathering of political leaders, party workers, government officials and members of the public is expected around the Vidhana Soudha area. Authorities are expecting heavy vehicular movement and possible traffic bottlenecks across central Bengaluru, prompting the precautionary closure of key government offices.

The order stated that the half-day holiday has been declared from the perspective of "security and safety" to ensure the smooth conduct of the event and to facilitate law enforcement agencies managing crowd control and traffic arrangements.

Employees working in the affected government buildings have been directed to conclude official work before the afternoon closure.

The swearing-in event is expected to be attended by senior Congress leaders from across the country, all block and district Congress presidents, incumbent and former MLAs, party unit heads, and chairpersons of various boards and corporations would be invited. As per report,Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge may also be present at the ceremony.