Around 30 Congress MLAs from Karnataka met party president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi on Monday, pressing for a long-pending cabinet reshuffle and seeking ministerial representation. The legislators said their demand was focused solely on a reshuffle and not on any change in leadership.
Speaking after the meeting, senior Congress MLA Ashok Pattan said Kharge had assured them that their concerns would be discussed with the party leadership.
“Our only issue is about the reshuffle, and we will not go for another subject… We are happy with anyone becoming the minister,” he said, adding that senior leaders like them should also be given an opportunity.
The delegation included several experienced legislators such as S.N. Narayanaswamy, K. Shadakshari,
A.R. Krishnamurthy, Puttaranga Shetty and Belur Gopal Krishna. Many of them are multiple-term MLAs who believe it is time for a cabinet rejig to accommodate more senior leaders in the government.
Pattan reiterated that the group’s visit was a “one-point programme” focused on reshuffling the Karnataka cabinet. He also said they would wait for further discussions with senior party leaders before returning to Bengaluru.
“This is only a one-point program. We have come, 30 members, we have come only, we are asking to reshuffle the Karnataka government cabinet,” he noted.
Party sources have earlier said that if the high command agrees to a reshuffle, it could signal stability in the current leadership under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, suggesting he may complete his full term. This could also impact internal leadership dynamics within the state unit.
The Karnataka cabinet has a sanctioned strength of 34 ministers, including the chief minister. At present, two positions remain vacant following recent developments, including a resignation and a dismissal linked to separate issues.
(With inputs from agencies)
