BENGALURU: With Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on a three-day visit to New Delhi, action on cabinet expansion has now shifted to the national capital.
According to informed sources, the Shivakumar cabinet is likely to be expanded only after the June 18 polls to the Rajya Sabha and seven MLC seats in Karnataka. Twenty berths are still vacant in the cabinet after Shivakumar took oath as CM recently along with 13 ministers.
There was also a message from the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, saying that young legislators be given a chance to enter the cabinet. This had kept seniors like HK Pail, TB Jayachandra (special representative of Karnataka government in Delhi) and others on tenterhooks.
According to sources, Shivakumar, who will attend several events in Delhi, including the NITI Aayog meeting, has carried a list of names of legislators to be made ministers.
Shivakumar met Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chief Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in New Delhi on Wednesday evening.
He will stay in Delhi on Thursday as well and return to Bengaluru on Friday.
Scores of ministerial aspirants, including K Shadakshari, are camping in Delhi lobbying to be part of the Shivakumar cabinet.
As Ballari Rural MLA B Nagendra, an ST Nayaka leader, is unlikely to be made a minister for his alleged role in the ST Corporation scam, his close associate and Ballari City MLA Bharat Reddy has emerged as a frontrunner, sources added.
Meanwhile, senior leaders, including MLC Saleem Ahmed and MLAs Ashok Pattan, Narendra Swamy and AR Krishnamurthy, are planning to visit Delhi.
There was a plan to offer the Assembly Speaker post to either HK Patil or Dinesh Gundu Rao, a party insider said.
Former higher education minister Dr MC Sudhakar is likely to retain the same portfolio, if he makes the cut.
Meanwhile, several first-time MLAs, including Chikkaballapur MLA Pradeep Eshwar, Virajpet MLA AS Ponnanna, Mudigere MLA Nayana Motamma, and Nanjangud MLA Darshan Dhruvanarayana, want at least two debutants to be made ministers.
“CM Shivakumar, former CM Siddaramaiah and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge will have their say in finalising the second list of ministers. The names would be known by June 21,” sources added.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, accompanied by Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad and Hanagal MLA Srinivas Mane, landed in Delhi.
He insisted that the BDA and BMRDA be incorporated into his ministry. The trio reportedly met AICC General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal and had plans to meet Rahul. Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwara is also in Delhi reportedly lobbying in favour of some MLAs, sources added.
‘NO DISCUSSION AT ALL’
On murmurs in political corridors about cabinet expansion, CM DK Shivakumar firmly dismissed it, saying, “No discussion at all.” “Today, I came to pay my respects to my leader. I went to the Youth Congress office. I went to the NSUI office. I went to Indira Bhawan. I went to the Mahila Congress office. They all are a part of our foundation; they are the four pillars of our party. I met my leader Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi and expressed my gratitude,” he said.
