Cabinet expansion: D.K. Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah, B.K. Hariprasad in Delhi to hold talks with high command

With several ruling Congress MLAs camping in New Delhi to lobby for ministerial berths, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar left for the national capital on Wednesday to hold discussions with the party high command on the much-awaited expansion of the Cabinet.

The Karnataka Cabinet currently has 20 vacancies.

Mr. Shivakumar was accompanied by former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president B.K. Hariprasad also left for New Delhi to participate in the consultations.

Sources said the three leaders are expected to meet Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who returned from an overseas visit, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and AICC general secretaries, including Karnataka in charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, to finalise the contours of the expansion. If all goes well, the expansion is likely to happen soon, which would provide sufficient time for new Ministers to study their departments and to face the Monsoon Session of the legislature, which would commence in August.

Meanwhile, several legislators aspiring for ministerial berths told reporters that they were ready to take an oath even during the ongoing “auspicious” month of Ashada and that they would conduct puja to “ward off the ill-effects.”

With the next Assembly election due in early 2028, many MLAs are eager to secure Cabinet positions not only to fulfil a long-held political ambition but also to strengthen their electoral base ahead of the polls.

Several names from different regions and communities are doing the rounds as probable inductees. The Congress is expected to induct one or two representatives from the Muslim community. Among the frontrunners are MLC Saleem Ahmed and Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad.

MLAs such as Laxman Savadi, Ajay Singh, Sharat Bache Gowda, Appaji Nadagouda, A.S. Ponnanna, K.M. Shivalinge Gowda and Ashok Pattan are also said to be under consideration for Cabinet berths.

Among women legislators, the names of former Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar and Nayana Motamma are also likely to be figured in the discussions.