The two-member Karnataka Cabinet will be expanded on Wednesday, a good 14 days after HD Kumaraswamy was sworn in as Karnataka Chief Minister, and G Parameshwara as his deputy.
The swearing in of the new ministers is scheduled for today 2.12 pm in Bengaluru.
However, both the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) were huddled in separate meetings on Tuesday to finalise the names of the ministers and portfolio allocations.
Both the Congress and the JD(S) would like to keep some berths vacant, to be filled up in a second Cabinet expansion at a later stage. Accordingly, the Congress is believed to be finalising about 17 of the its 22 Cabinet berths and its partner, the JD(S), is likely to finalise eight or nine names from its total share of 12 Cabinet portfolios.
Sources said the names of the Congress ministers would be finalised late on Tuesday night as party President Rahul Gandhi held several rounds of meetings at his residence with Karnataka leaders, including former chief minister Siddaramiah, Dinesh Gundu Rao and G Parameshwara, among others. Congress General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka KC Venugopal, and the party’s Leader in the Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, were also present.
Several other senior Congress leaders from Karnataka including HK Patil, HM Revanna and RV Deshpande were also in Delhi to lobby for Cabinet berths. Senior leader DK Shivkumar, whose claims to the post of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President have diminished of late, is hoping to get the Energy portfolio. JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda’s son, HD Revanna is also eying the portfolio. Revanna is reportedly pressing for double portfolios including Public Works Department and Energy, a claim that is being resisted by the Congress.
Another important decision that was reportedly taken in different series of meetings under way in Deve Gowda’s residence is that MLCs would not be accommodated in the Cabinet. This would mean that senior party leaders BM Farooq and Basavaraja Horatty would not find a place in the ministry.
All well in JD(S), says HDK
Meanwhile in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy ruled out any differences among JD(S) MLAs over the allocation of portfolios and said the party president Deve Gowda had been given total freedom on the next phase of cabinet expansion.
“There are no differences at all among our MLAs (over cabinet berths and portfolio allocations). Actually they have given total freedom to the national president to select the future Cabinet,” he told reporters.
Kumaraswamy also said Deve Gowda, the party’s national president, had advised all MLAs on good governance. “Today we had a meeting with our MLAs. Our national president advised all MLAs to cooperate with the cabinet for developing the state and providing good governance,” he said.
The Congress is believed to have been allocated the portfolios of Home, Irrigation, Health, Agriculture and Women Child Welfare ministries, while JD(S) has kept the more important Finance and Excise, Revenue, Public Works Department, Education, Tourism and Transport ministries.
Both parties also agreed on setting up of coordination and monitoring committee to oversee the smooth functioning of the coalition. The committee will be led by senior Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, while JD(S)’ Danish Ali will work as its convenor.
Prasanta Patnaik