Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Monday said the long-awaited expansion of his cabinet would be finalised this week, with the Congress leadership set to take a final call during his visit to New Delhi.
Shivakumar left for the national capital, where he is scheduled to meet the Congress high command on Tuesday to discuss the cabinet expansion. Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president B K Hariprasad are also likely to attend the meeting, according to party sources.
Besides the cabinet exercise, the Chief Minister will meet Karnataka MPs to discuss the state's drought situation and other key issues, including the Cauvery, Mahadayi and Krishna river disputes, the Mekedatu project and pending infrastructure works, to be raised during the ongoing Parliament session.
He is also scheduled to meet senior advocates on pending legal matters involving the state government and hold discussions with Union Ministers.
“I will be meeting all our Parliament members. There is a need to make them aware of the drought and water situation in the state. Also, we need to make them aware of issues related to Cauvery, Mahadayi and Krishna rivers, Mekedatu project and several pending projects,” Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters before leaving for Delhi, he said he would brief Karnataka MPs on the state's concerns to be taken up in Parliament.
“On the cabinet expansion, you (media) are all in a hurry. I think within this week, I will finalise all the exercise,” he added.
Shivakumar also said he would convene an all-party meeting after returning to Bengaluru to discuss important state issues.
“After I come back, I will meet opposition leaders, former CMs. There are some important issues to be discussed. I will do it,” he said.
The Congress leadership had planned to discuss the cabinet expansion in New Delhi last week, but the meeting could not take place as Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and other party leaders participated in a protest over the police action against students demonstrating against the NEET paper leak.
Shivakumar, who was sworn in as Chief Minister on June 3 along with 13 ministers following Siddaramaiah's resignation, currently has 20 vacancies in his 34-member Council of Ministers.
With several aspirants lobbying for ministerial berths, the Congress leadership is expected to weigh regional and caste representation while seeking to minimise discontent among those left out, party sources said.
(With inputs from PTI)