BENGALURU: With the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, expected to return to India from his foreign tour on Sunday evening, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, his predecessor Siddaramaiah and KPCC president BK Hariprasad are likely to be summoned anytime soon to New Delhi by the Congress high command to discuss the much-delayed cabinet expansion.
Shivakumar was sworn in as CM along with 13 ministers on June 3. There are 20 vacancies in the cabinet.
Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah and Hariprasad are prepared with a list of their loyalists to be pushed into the cabinet, sources told The New Sunday Express.
Besides the high command, including AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, will have their own nominees to ensure that the party returns to power in the 2028 Assembly polls, sources added.
“Cabinet aspirants are curious to know if the expansion will happen before the month of Ashada, which many believe is inauspicious. Aashada starts on Tuesday (July 14),” sources added.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Priyank Kharge said that the cabinet expansion will happen soon. “The CM and AICC chief have said this very clearly. In circumstances where an emergency-like situation arises—whether it is a drought or a flood—having a full-fledged cabinet ensures that responsibilities can be assigned to everyone so that relief can be provided to people without any delay,” Priyank added.
When asked if the expansion will happen before Aashada, he said, “I don’t believe in that... When giving or taking power, who looks at all that? There is no connection between the two. Our responsibility is to look after our people. As you said, whether it is Aashada or Rahu Kala, everyone has their own faith and beliefs, but it should not affect governance.”
Meanwhile, Jewargi MLA Ajay Singh, son of former CM N Dharam Singh, is a strong contender for a berth in the Shivakumar cabinet. Ajay said that the high command may call the state leaders to Delhi any moment for talks.
Chamarajnagara MLA C Puttarangashetty, another contender, said that the expansion may happen in a day or two or after a month when Aashada ends.
Srirangapatna MLA A B Ramesh Bandisidde Gowda asserted that he deserved to be a minister. “I will also organise the party in Mandya. If I am proven wrong, they can remove me anytime”, he said.
Several other MLAs, including those elected for 3-4 times, such as Ashok M Pattan, have openly staked claim.
“Rahul Gandhi will come tomorrow (Sunday). He will call the CM, former CM, and the KPCC President on Monday or Tuesday. I will tell our leaders not to just look at caste, but consider seniority too. I am a senior legislator in Belagavi district and the state. I was a Congress student leader... been in the party since the days of former CM D Devaraj Urs,” he said.
Trouble for Zameer?
Ahead of the formation of the Shivakumar cabinet in the first phase, an audio clip leaked allegedly involving former minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan allegedly conspiring to defeat the Congress candidate in Davanagere bypolls. This ruined his chances of becoming a minister in the Shivakumar cabinet. This time around, the Lokayukta approached the Governor seeking permission to prosecute him in a disproportionate assets case. One has to wait and watch to see whether Zameer will this time make it to the cabinet or not.