New Delhi: The formation of the new Karnataka cabinet gained momentum on Monday as chief minister-designate DK Shivakumar and former CM Siddaramaiah submitted their respective lists of ministerial candidates to Congress state in-charge Randeep Surjewala ahead of the June 3 swearing-in.
A high-level meeting, comprising Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, general secretary K C Venugopal, Surjewala, Shivakumar, and Siddaramaiah, is scheduled for Tuesday to finalise the cabinet’s composition.
According to two leaders aware of the developments, the selection of the deputy chief ministers remains unresolved as both state’s former home minister G Parameshwara and outgoing minister Priyank Kharge are eyeing the slot.
Parameshwara served as home minister in the earlier Siddaramaiah government, while Priyank -- son of Mallikarjun Kharge -- held the high-profile electronics, IT/BT, and Rural Development & Panchayat Raj portfolios.
Both leaders are prominent Dalit faces who fit the party’s criteria for caste balance in the upcoming government.
A senior Congress leader said that Surjewala has already laid the groundwork for Tuesday’s consultations. “Surjewala met both Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar to discuss their respective list of candidates. He also had a meeting with Venugopal for less than 30 minutes,” said the leader, requesting anonymity.
Arriving in Delhi ahead of his swearing-in, Shivakumar said: “My good wishes to Karnataka. They (the people of Karnataka) all had been waiting for a long time.”
{{/usCountry}}Arriving in Delhi ahead of his swearing-in, Shivakumar said: “My good wishes to Karnataka. They (the people of Karnataka) all had been waiting for a long time.”
{{/usCountry}}A second Congress functionary aware of the developments indicated that if Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar failed to reach an immediate consensus on the full list of ministers, a smaller council of ministers may take oath on Wednesday, while more could be added in subsequent cabinet expansions once the differences are resolved.
Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah’s son Yathindra on Monday reiterated his interest in getting a ministerial post in the new government but dismissed speculation that he was being considered for the deputy chief minister’s post.
“Last time I visited the high command, Rahul Gandhi said that my interest would be taken care of, and he said I would be inducted into the cabinet, so I’m hopeful. Whatever the portfolio is, I’ll be happy,” he told reporters in Bengaluru. But, when asked whether he was looking at the deputy chief minister’s post, he replied, “No.”
Separately, Shivakumar paid a visit to ace lawyer and Congress’s Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Singhvi in Delhi to extend an invitation. “I had called DK to congratulate him. He asked if I am at home and came to my house at 5 minutes’ notice. He touched my feet. He invited me for swearing-in. He was very warm and courteous. My wife applied tilak on his forehead. I told him that he should remain chief minister for 7 years, not just two years,” Singhvi said.
Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah’s son Yathindra on Monday reiterated his interest in getting a ministerial post in the new government but dismissed speculation that he was being considered for the deputy chief minister’s post.
“Last time I visited the high command, Rahul Gandhi said that my interest will be taken care of, and he said I would be inducted into the cabinet, so I’m hopeful. Whatever the portfolio is, I’ll be happy,” Yathindra told reporters in Bengaluru.
Asked whether he was looking at the deputy chief minister’s post, he replied, “No.”
(With inputs from Arun Dev)