BENGALURU: With DK Shivakumar all set to take oath as the state’s 18th Chief Minister on Wednesday, lobbying has intensified to secure a ministerial berth in the new cabinet. Shivakumar will take the oath along with some 20 council of ministers.
Except for outgoing CM Siddaramaiah’s MLC son, MLC Yathindra, and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge’s son, MLA Priyank Kharge, and former minister KH Muniyappa’s daughter, MLA Roopakala Shashidhar, there is no clarity yet on who else could enter the cabinet.
There will be clarity by Monday on both the ministerial berths and the creation of Deputy CM posts, informed sources told The New Sunday Express.
In the wake of the June 18 polls to four Rajya Sabha seats and to seven Council seats from the MLAs’ quota, the Congress high command is likely to keep some cabinet berths vacant.
There will not be any surprise if two-time Hoskote MLA Sharat Bachegowda and first-time Virajpet MLA AS Ponnanna become ministers, sources added.
Political circles are curious as to how many veterans and how many news faces are likely to be inducted as ministers, as Shivakumar has the reputation of being a dynamic leader who wishes to overhaul the administration.
The high command, however, is likely to strike a balance by acceding to the say of Siddaramaiah, who has just stepped down from the helm of affairs, opined political analysts.
The Shivakumar cabinet is likely to be a mix of veterans and young Turks, they added.
Both Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah have submitted the list of their choices to the party high command.
The names of KJ George, Ramalinga Reddy, Dr G Parameshwara, MB Patil, UT Khader, Krishna Byre Gowda, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Byrati Suresh, BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, AR Krishnamurthy, SN Narayanaswamy, PM Narendraswamy, Puttaranga Shetty, TB Jayachandra, Satish Jarakiholi, Ashok Pattan, Appaji Nadagouda, HK Patil, BR Patil, Basavaraja Rayareddy, KM Shivalinge Gowda, NA Harris, Rizwan Arshad, Anekal Shivanna, HC Balakrishna, N Chaluvarayaswamy, Tanvir Seth, B Nagendra, Sharath Bachegowda, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Lakshman Savadi, Raghumurthy, Madhu Bangarappa, Sangamesh, and Yashwantaraya Gouda Patil are doing the rounds.
Satish Jarkiholi, who is expecting to be appointed as KPCC president, also wants a cabinet berth.
No takers for Speaker post
Even as the Congress high command offered the Assembly speaker post to many legislators, most of them have rejected it, according to sources.
Siddaramaiah dials Sonia
Caretaker Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday spoke to Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chief Sonia Gandhi over the phone and expressed his gratitude to the latter for providing him the opportunity to serve as the CM of Karnataka twice, sources added.
