Karnataka cabinet expansion likely on Monday after Delhi meeting
Karnataka's cabinet expansion is now likely to take place on Monday, with the final list of ministers expected to be cleared by Sunday night or
Karnataka's cabinet expansion is now likely to take place on Monday, with the final list of ministers expected to be cleared by Sunday night or Monday morning, sources close to DK Shivakumar said after a meeting of senior Congress leaders in New Delhi on Thursday. The expansion had earlier been expected on Friday, but the schedule was pushed back after the discussions in Delhi. The party leadership is working to finalise the names while balancing caste, religion and regional representation, the sources said.
Read Full Story The decision was taken at a meeting held at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, DK Shivakumar, former chief minister Siddaramaiah, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala and Congress Karnataka president BK Hariprasad attended the meeting. Sources said the leadership discussed the probable candidates for entry into the cabinet. "It was decided that the list of the probable candidates will be cleared on Sunday night or by Monday morning.
The cabinet expansion is now likely to take place on Monday evening," the sources said. The cabinet expansion has been under discussion for several weeks after Shivakumar assumed office as chief minister on June 3. Karnataka now has 14 ministers, including the chief minister, against the maximum allowed strength of 34, leaving 20 vacancies in the council of ministers. With many vacancies still to be filled, Congress legislators have intensified lobbying for a place in the ministry.
For now, the party leadership is trying to strike a balance among social groups and regions before the expansion likely on Monday. Ends
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