K’taka cabinet expansion gains momentum; CM Shivakumar to meet Cong top leaders
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar is scheduled to travel to New Delhi on Monday, with an official statement indicating that he will meet Congress top leaders on Tuesday. His return journey remains open-ended, lending significance to the visit amid persistent speculation over an impending cabinet expansion.
The cabinet expansion process in the Karnataka Congress has gathered momentum, with several ministerial aspirants heading to the national capital to lobby the party high command.
Shivakumar will leave Bengaluru International Airport at 9 a.m. on July 27. He will be meeting senior advocates regarding pending issues of the state government. In the evening, he will meet Union ministers representing Karnataka state and MPs from the state.
The party’s several state leaders are preparing to meet the Congress leadership in the national capital.
Some close associates of former Chief Minister and Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Siddaramaiah are also hopeful of securing cabinet berths. Party insiders revealed that the high command is considering some senior leaders for the post of Speaker. It may be recalled that Minister for Health U.T. Khader previously held the Speaker’s post and earned appreciation from BJP and JD(S) legislators for his conduct of Assembly proceedings.
Sources said a party MLC, who is Vice-Chairperson of the AICC’s Department of Foreign Affairs, has emerged as a frontrunner for a cabinet berth. However, sources added that Shivakumar is reportedly not in favour of the MLC, as she is not considered part of his close political circle. They also pointed out that she belongs to the Vokkaliga community, and her induction could affect the party’s internal calculations regarding women’s representation and community balance in the cabinet.
The Congress high command is also likely to finalise a decision on the creation of two additional Deputy Chief Minister posts alongside Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara.
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC President B.K. Hariprasad are also expected to travel to New Delhi to discuss the final list for the cabinet expansion with the party high command. A final decision is likely to be taken by Tuesday evening.
It is noteworthy that the Karnataka government has been functioning with only 14 ministers, including the Chief Minister, leaving 20 cabinet positions vacant since the formation of the government on June 3. Although senior leaders had recently travelled to Delhi and an announcement on cabinet expansion was expected, the decision was deferred after AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge returned to Bengaluru to attend a family emergency and due to the political developments surrounding the NEET protests.