BENGALURU:Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president G Parameshwara on Saturday called on senior party leader S M Krishna ahead of the former’s visit to Delhi to hold talks with the party high command about the much-delayed Cabinet rejig.
This unscheduled meeting between the two leaders led to speculation about a possible Cabinet expansion next week. Parameshwara’s meeting with Krishna lasted for an hour.
Krishna had recently met AICC president Sonia Gandhi and is learnt to have apprised her about the disconnect between the party and the state government. He had also reportedly spoken about the neglect of the old guard by Siddaramaiah that could be a setback to the party in the 2018 Assembly polls.
Sources, however, maintained that both the leaders discussed about the possibilities of the party high command giving its nod to Siddaramaiah to fill up four vacant cabinet berths.
Parameshwara, however, dismissed the speculations and said they “discussed on how to strengthen the party and also to work out strategies for the ensuing Zilla and Taluk Panchayat elections as well as elections to 25 Council seats.”
On the possibility of him joining the Cabinet as Deputy Chief Minister, Parameshwara said, “All these things have to be decided by the party high command... I will obey the decision taken by the party.”
Parameshwara and Siddaramaiah are together meeting Sonia to discuss the Cabinet rejig.
According to party insiders, this visit to Delhi assumes significance as the high command is likely to give its stamp of approval for the long-pending Cabinet expansion.
“Chief minister Siddaramaiah has agreed to induct Parameshwara as his deputy with a rider that it has to be vetted by the party chief Sonia Gandhi,” a senior Congress leader told Express.
Meanwhile in Mysuru, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, under pressure from his party men and legislators to reshuffle the cabinet, held talks with senior cabinet colleague T B Jayachandra on Saturday. It is learnt that he will hold talks with his confidants H C Mahadevappa, H S Mahadeva Prasad and others before taking a call.
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