In a grand ceremony held at Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru today, Congress leader Siddaramaiah was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka for the second time. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President DK Shivakumar as Deputy Chief Minister and eight MLAs as Cabinet Ministers were also sworn in by Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot.

Congress President Malliakarjun Kharge's son Priyank Kharge has secured a ministerial berth in the newly inducted Karnataka Cabinet.

In the recently concluded Karnataka Assembly elections, Priyank Kharge won for a third consecutive term from the Chittapur seat in Kalaburagi district. He defeated Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Manikanta Rathod by 13,640 votes.

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The rise of Priyank Kharge, son of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, in Karnataka politics since his student activism days has been remarkable.

In 2016, at the age of 38, Priyank Kharge became the youngest minister to be sworn into the cabinet of the then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. He held the portfolio of Minister of Information and Technology, BT & Tourism at that time.

Born on November 22, 1978, in Bengaluru, Priyank is not only a seasoned politician but also a professional in the field of design, specialising in graphics and animation. Prior to his political career, he worked for various corporate houses in India and abroad.

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His journey in politics began in 1998 as an activist of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of Congress. Over the years, he held several positions within the party, including State NSUI General Secretary, Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Secretary, and Vice President of Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress.

In 2013, he won his first Karnataka Assembly election from the Chittapur constituency, his father’s home turf.

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Priyank Kharge's electoral success continued in 2018 when he secured victory once again from Chittapur. He served as the Social Welfare Minister under the Congress-JD(S) coalition government led by HD Kumaraswamy.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)