BENGALURU, June 4 -- DK Shivakumar was on Wednesday sworn in as the chief minister of Karnataka, formally taking charge of the state government alongside deputy chief minister G Parameshwara and a 12-member ministerial team, ending his long-drawn leadership tussle with his predecessor Siddaramaiah.

Soon after taking oath, Shivakumar chaired his first cabinet meeting and announced youth-centric initiatives, including free bus pass for students and formation of 10,000 Bharat Jodo Yuva Sanghas to raise leadership quality and build social harmony.

Earlier in the day, governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath of office and secrecy to Shivakumar at the Lok Bhavan in a ceremony attended by senior Congress leaders and public figures fr...