Siddaramaiah Meets Cong Leadership as DKS Cabinet Takes Shape
A decision on ministerial berths and the Deputy Chief Minister's post is expected during the course of these meetings
New Delhi: Senior Congress leaders from Karnataka have converged in Delhi as the party high command, along with outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Chief Minister-designate DK Shivakumar, meet to give final shape to the new state cabinet.
A decision on ministerial berths and the Deputy Chief Minister's post is expected during the course of these meetings. The swearing-in ceremony of Chief Minister-designate DK Shivakumar is scheduled to take place at Lok Bhavan on Wednesday (June 3) at 4:00 pm.
Karnataka caretaker Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is set to join a meeting with Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge ahead of Shivakumar's swearing-in ceremony. Before the meeting, he was seen interacting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at a hotel in Delhi.
When asked about the agenda of his meeting with Kharge, Siddaramaiah replied, "I don't know."
Speculation is rife that several ministers from the outgoing Siddaramaiah cabinet may be dropped to make way for fresh faces. However, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, son of the outgoing Chief Minister, said Rahul Gandhi had previously assured him of a cabinet berth.
Earlier in the day, Karnataka Congress MLA Priyank Kharge also met the party president in the national capital amid reports that he could be given a key role in the new cabinet.
The meeting comes amid intense political activity in Delhi, with top Congress leaders and ministerial aspirants from Karnataka lobbying for positions in the new government.
With the Congress high command expected to finalise the ministerial list soon, the party is working to balance regional, caste and social equations, while also deciding on Deputy Chief Ministers and organisational appointments.
According to senior party insiders and MLAs, the cabinet expansion is likely to be carried out in two phases to manage internal competition and accommodate various factions.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister-designate DK Shivakumar expressed gratitude to the Gandhi family for their role in shaping his political career.
In a post on X, Shivakumar said, "The Gandhi family has played a defining role in my political journey, not merely through leadership, but through the faith they placed in me at different stages of my life."
With Shivakumar moving to the Chief Minister's post, the Congress is also looking for an OBC leader to take over as Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president to maintain coordination between the party organisation and the government.
Amid these developments, the BJP has criticised the leadership transition.
BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka dismissed the change as merely "a change of driver" and questioned whether the new government would be able to address Karnataka's financial challenges.
"The bus is already in the garage. Only the driver is changed. Siddaramaiah is leaving and DK Shivakumar is coming. The bus remains the same; there is no change in the bus. It is just a change of driver," Ashoka remarked.
