BENGALURU: With Chief Minister DK Shivakumar likely to expand his cabinet after the June 18 polls to seven MLC seats from the Assembly, ministerial aspirants have been hovering around AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, trying to impress him.
On Friday, Kharge was at Vidhana Soudha to collect his certificate of election as Rajya Sabha member. There was a big rush of legislators, which looked unusual, to impress upon Kharge. Some carried bouquets, while others bowed obsequiously. MLAs Ashok M Pattan, KM Shivalinge Gowda and others showed up. A few others, including MLAs RV Deshpande, Mankala Vaidya and Hampanagouda Badarli, met the Congress chief at his residence.
Deshpande said he is the senior-most legislator and this could be his last term as an MLA as he will not contest the 2028 Assembly elections. He was a minister in several previous cabinets. But he was not included in the ministry by Siddaramaiah.
As Kharge will call the shots with regard to finalising ministerial berths to SC community leaders, the aspirants have started meeting him. But Kharge is likely to decide keeping in view the 2028 Assembly and 2029 Lok Sabha polls. Those who have the potential to influence voters may get the opportunity, sources said. “His loyalist MLC Vasanth Kumar from Raichur, hailing from the SC left community, has an edge over others as he is a potential leader with prospects from the Hyderabad-Karnataka region which gave Congress five LS seats in 2024,” a source said,
