Karnataka Chief Minister-designate Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister-designate DK Shivakumar have discussed the modalities of cabinet formation in the state with the party leadership in Delhi and some names of ministers and their portfolios are understood to have been shortlisted.
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar will take oath on Saturday at 12.30 pm at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. Some ministers are also likely to take oath, though there has been no official announcement.
The two leaders, who came from Bengaluru along with general secretary in-charge Randeep Surjewala, held several meetings on Friday in the national capital over cabinet formation.
Siddaramaiah also held a closed-door meeting with AICC general secretary KC Venugopal and Surjewala. Later, DK Shivakumar joined the discussion on possible names to be included in the new cabinet.
The cabinet deliberations continued late into the night as top central and state leaders sought to strike a balance between all classes, groups, communities and regions while accommodating all.
Sources told that 20 to 25 ministers can take oath on Saturday.
Some prominent names include former Karnataka Congress chief and former deputy chief minister G Parameshwara, Lingayat leader MB Patil, senior Congressman and former minister KJ George.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s son Priyank Kharge, former Union minister KH Muniyappa’s daughter Roopa Sashidhar, Karnataka Congress working president Ishwara Khandre, former minister Tanveer Sait, senior leader Krishna Byre Gowda and leader of opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council BK sources said. Hariprasad is also among the names being considered.
After hour-long deliberations on Friday, both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, along with Surjewala and Venugopal, met Rahul Gandhi at 10 Janpath, where the leaders held talks for over one-and-a-half hours.
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar also formally invited Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for the swearing-in ceremony.
Sources said the new cabinet will have representation from all regions of the state and sections including Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, minorities, women, youth and the southern state’s two major communities, Lingayats and Vokkaligas. Shivakumar is a Vokkaliga.
After meeting Rahul Gandhi, Surjewala and Venugopal went to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence where they are said to have finalized the list of ministers, which sources said would be around 20.
Venugopal had earlier said that a group of ministers would also take oath.
On Thursday, a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) formally elected Siddaramaiah as its leader, after which he staked claim to the Governor, who invited him to form the government.
After reaching Delhi, Shivakumar told reporters, “We want to invite our leaders, we want to invite Rahul ji, Sonia ji, Kharge ji and Priyanka ji for the function. He gave his sweat and direction (to the campaign), so I wanted to invite him personally. Later, we are discussing the cabinet formation.”
Asked how many opposition leaders would attend the swearing-in, he said, “We have requested our AICC president to take care of it.” First for us is the Congress President and the Gandhi family, we are here to invite them personally.”
He asserted that the promises made to the people of Karnataka by leaders like Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi will be fulfilled in the first cabinet meeting itself.
Newly elected MLA Priyanka Kharge, the Congress president’s son and a potential minister, also met Shivakumar at her brother’s residence in Kaveri Apartments.
Before leaving for Delhi, Shivakumar said that the first priority is to fulfill the promises made to the people.
“Cabinet, people, all those things we will tell you later, we will do nothing except you (media), no speculation needed. We will work unitedly,” he said.
The first challenge before Siddaramaiah is to put together a cabinet with the right combination that will strike a balance between representatives of all communities, regions, factions and the old and new generations of legislators.
With the sanctioned strength of the Karnataka cabinet being 34, there are a lot of aspirants for ministerial posts.
Noting that the voice of the people would be the voice of the Karnataka government, Shivakumar said, “All our national leaders are coming (for the swearing-in ceremony). On the first day, in the first cabinet, we will implement all our ‘guarantees’, we will keep our promise.
He said that many national leaders have been invited for the swearing-in ceremony and most of them are coming.
Shivakumar also invited BJP and JD(S) leaders to the event, adding that as people’s representatives, they are also part of the government machinery.
Earlier, the nominated Deputy CM also visited Kanteerava Stadium, the venue of the function, and took stock of the preparations there.
The Congress has promised to implement “guarantees” such as 200 units of free electricity to all households (Griha Jyoti), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the female head of every household (Griha Lakshmi), 10 kg rice free to each BPL member. families (Anna Bhagya), Rs 3,000 per month for graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders (both in the 18-25 age group) for two years (Yuvanidhi), and free for women in public transport buses (Shakti) Yatra, on the first day of assuming power in the state.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI,