Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.(PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak)
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were sworn in as the Chief Minister and Deputy CM of Karnataka respectively on 20 May along with eight cabinet ministers.
According to reports, around 20 more ministers are likely to be inducted into the Siddaramaiah-led cabinet in Karnataka and take oath on Saturday.
CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar were in Delhi to meet the party high command regarding cabinet expansion. He met Congress general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala and party’s organization general secretary KC Venugopal. Sources said he then held a separate meeting with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence.
Sources indicated that one more round of discussion would be held before finalizing the state cabinet.
Several rounds of meetings have taken place in Karnataka since the Congress came to power with a majority on May 13 over government formation. Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were sworn in as the Chief Minister and Deputy CM of Karnataka respectively on 20 May along with eight cabinet ministers. However, the ministers are yet to be allotted their portfolios.
Karnataka can have a maximum of 34 ministers and it will be difficult for the Congress to accommodate all the candidates.
Sources said differences have cropped up between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar over the names of possible ministers and both are pushing the case for MLAs close to them.
According to Congress sources, this was done last week after differences between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar surfaced over some names during discussions in Delhi ahead of the swearing-in ceremony.
After landing in the national capital on Wednesday, Shivakumar said it was a “normal routine visit” and he would meet senior party leaders to discuss issues related to the state. “We have to complete our cabinet (expansion) as soon as possible. It is under process.”
Rejecting rumors of a rift within the party, Shivakumar said, ‘As party president (Karnataka), I am telling you there is nothing, no internal issue.’ When asked about supporters of Congress MLA D Sudhakar staging a sit-in outside Siddaramaiah’s house, Shivakumar said, “(It) is quite natural. All workers (of the party) want to become ministers.”
(With PTI inputs)