BENGALURU: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and his counterpart in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, also AICC president, are likely to take a final call on the Karnataka cabinet expansion after holding talks with Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, his predecessor Siddaramaiah and KPCC president BK Hariprasad in Delhi on Tuesday. The meeting with the trio has been scheduled for 11.30 am, sources informed The New Indian Express.
This comes after the trio met Rahul one-on-one during their recent visit to the national capital. They had also called on AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal and had almost finalised the list by making some changes following instructions from Rahul. “Rahul had promptly taken advice from Congress’ election strategist Sunil Kanugol to induct new faces,” a party insider said.
The Chief Minister’s Office has informed the Lok Bhavan as the swearing-in ceremony is likely to be scheduled in a day or two.
A decision on the Assembly Speaker is also likely to be taken, with the names of senior Congress leaders HK Patil and BR Patil being considered.
All 20 vacancies will be filled to form a full-fledged cabinet, with two berths expected to be given to women, sources said, adding that former minister and MCL Umashree, who has been camping in Delhi, is emerging as the front-runner.
“A few legislators, who got wind of the high command finalising the list, have stayed back in Delhi and more rushed there on Monday evening,” a party insider said.
There are about 30-40 Congress legislators still camping in Delhi, including RV Deshpande, Basavaraj Rayareddy and RB Thimmapur. The legislators have been seizing Kharge’s birthday on Tuesday as an opportunity to greet him, while also staking a claim to ministerial posts.
It is to be seen whether Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah and Hariprasad manage to convince the high command to make their choices ministers. The high command also has a plan to placate those who miss the cabinet berths by making them chiefs of boards and corporations and also appointing them in key positions in the party.
Meanwhile, Aland MLA BR Patil, an aspirant for a cabinet berth, is pinning his hopes on the ‘vote chori’ issue raised by LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi who had kicked off his campaign against the ECI in 2025, citing Aland as an example. Rahul had claimed vote theft by the BJP in Aland and Rajpura in Maharashtra, and revealed how voters’ names were being allegedly deleted and added using a centralized software system, on September 18, 2025.
Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi has said that inducting new faces into the cabinet would further strengthen the Congress and create valuable leadership for the party’s future. He said the recent meeting with AICC leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala and KC Venugopal involved detailed discussions on the expansion.
He said Congress leaders had conveyed their views to the party high command, while the final decision rests with the central leadership. Jarkiholi also reiterated his demand for an additional cabinet berth for Belagavi district. Refuting speculation of differences with former CM Siddaramaiah, Jarkiholi said attempts were being made to create an impression of a rift for political gains. “Some people are deliberately trying to project that there are differences between me and Siddaramaiah,” he said.