Will finalise cabinet expansion this week: Karnataka CM Shivakumar

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Monday announced that he will finalise the long-awaited expansion of his cabinet within this week.

The CM left for New Delhi, where he will be holding a meeting with MPs from Karnataka to discuss the drought situation and key issues concerning the state to be raised in the Parliament, during the ongoing session.

Shivakumar, who will be meeting senior advocates regarding pending issues of the state government and also Union Ministers, is scheduled to meet with Congress high command leaders on Tuesday, during which the details of the cabinet expansion will be hammered out.


Also Read: Cabinet to take up scheme for manufacturing of construction gear

Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President B K Hariprasad are also likely to attend the meeting with the high command, according to sources.

" I will be meeting all our Parliament members. There is a need to make them aware of the drought and water situation in the state. Also, we need to make them aware of issues related to Cauvery, Mahadayi and Krishna rivers, Mekedatu project and several pending projects," Shivakumar said.

Speaking to reporters here before departing for Delhi, he said after becoming the CM, he will brief the Karnataka MPs on the state's issues to be raised in Parliament.

"On the cabinet expansion, you (media) are all in a hurry. I think within this week, I will finalise all the exercise," he added.

The CM further said, upon returning from Delhi, he will also be calling an all-party meeting in Bengaluru to discuss and inform leaders on some key issues.

"After I come back, I will meet opposition leaders, former CMs. There are some important issues to be discussed. I will do it," he added.

Meanwhile, ministerial aspirants are lobbying intensely for induction into the cabinet. Some of them have left for Delhi.

Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah and Hariprasad were in New Delhi last week to discuss the expansion.

However, the discussion could not take place because Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge and several party leaders and MPs participated in a dharna outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence over the police action against students protesting the NEET paper leak.

Also Read: Cabinet clears Rs 1,264 crore Ballari-Guntakal rail line expansion, says MoS V Somanna

The state leaders have already held one round of talks with the party's top leadership on the cabinet expansion.

Shivakumar was sworn-in as the Chief Minister along with 13 Ministers on June 3, following Siddaramaiah's resignation as CM on May 28.

With the sanctioned strength of Karnataka's ministry being 34, including the CM, 20 berths are still vacant, and pressure is mounting on Shivakumar to expand his cabinet.

With many ministerial aspirants and limited berths available, Shivakumar and the high command have a tough task, as there are risks of large-scale disgruntlement among those left out, party sources said.

They will also have to strike a balance by ensuring representation, while keeping caste and regional equations in mind.