Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah Meet Congress Top Brass For Final Round Of Karnataka Cabinet Talks

Karnataka Chief Minister-designate DK Shivakumar and his predecessor Siddaramaiah on Tuesday held a final round of discussions with the Congress leadership in Delhi over the formation of the new state cabinet.

The two leaders met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, and senior leaders KC Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala to finalise the composition of the cabinet. The talks focused on balancing various political and regional considerations before the swearing-in.

According to sources, Shivakumar is expected to take oath as Chief Minister on June 3 in Bengaluru along with a small initial cabinet, which will be expanded later. The final list of ministers is likely to be approved after further internal discussions.

The Congress leadership is working to accommodate competing claims for cabinet berths while maintaining caste and regional balance within the 34-member ministry cap, including the Chief Minister.

Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Congress president, was officially elected leader of the Congress Legislature Party in Karnataka on May 30.

Earlier in the day, Shivakumar expressed gratitude to the Gandhi family for their role in his political journey and thanked them for the faith they had placed in him at different stages of his life.

Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah arrived in the national capital on Monday to hold consultations with the Congress high command over the composition of the new state cabinet.

Cabinet Likely To Mix Old And New Faces

According to PTI, party sources indicate the new cabinet is likely to be a blend of familiar faces and fresh entrants, with careful attention paid to caste arithmetic, regional balance and loyalty equations — particularly towards the Siddaramaiah camp.

Speculation is rife that the new government could have multiple deputy chief ministers, including a Dalit. Among the frontrunners include G Parmeshwara and Priyank Kharge.

Sources add that Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar and Kharge camps are pushing for their confidantes for a berth in the new cabinet. Siddaramaiah’s son Yathindra, who is an MLC, is also hopeful of a cabinet berth.

After meeting Shivakumar on Sunday, he had expressed confidence about a cabinet berth, saying the party high command has already assured him of a ministerial position.

Sources said the top Congress leaders are still pressing Siddaramaiah to take up a Rajya Sabha seat, even though the former chief minister has expressed his desire to remain active in the state and not take up a role in national politics.

Sources add that party leadership is also contemplating forming a joint coordination committee led by Siddaramaiah to ensure better and effective coordination between the party and the government in Karnataka.

The Delhi parleys were also expected to address the question of who succeeds Shivakumar as Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president.

(With inputs from PTI)