New Delhi: Karnataka’s pending cabinet expansion entered a decisive phase on Tuesday with Chief Minister DK Shivakumar holding high-level consultations with the Congress leadership, amid expectations that the party could soon finalize the long-awaited exercise to fill 20 vacant ministerial berths.
The visit comes after a week of inconclusive deliberations and at a time when lobbying by ministerial aspirants has intensified, putting the Congress leadership under pressure to strike a balance among regional, caste and factional interests while constituting the ministry.
Shivkumar was seen today in Parliament meeting several party leaders. Sources said that the Chief Minister is expected to meet Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC in-charge General Secretary( Organization ) KC Venugopal and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala to discuss the Cabinet expansion. Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Pradesh Congress Committee president BK Hariprasad are also likely to participate in the consultations.
Although the Chief Minister’s official itinerary mentions meetings with union ministers, party sources said the Cabinet expansion would dominate the Delhi discussions. With the Monsoon session of the Karnataka assembly would be meeting shortly, the Chief Minister admitted that the expansion has already been delayed. Shivakumar took the oath with a 14-member council of ministers
on June 3 after Siddaramaiah stepped down as Chief Minister, is yet to fill 20 of the 34 constitutionally permitted ministerial positions.
The latest round of consultations follows meetings held in the national capital last week. While discussions were held with Rahul Gandhi, Venugopal and Surjewala, a meeting with Kharge could not take place as the Congress President had traveled to Bengaluru on personal work. Shivakumar later met Kharge in Bengaluru on Saturday.
With several legislators pressing their claims for cabinet berths, the Congress leadership faces the difficult task of accommodating competing aspirations while maintaining political and social balance in the ministry. The outcome of Tuesday’s consultations is expected to determine the timing and shape of the much-awaited expansion.
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