Karnataka: Another Cabinet Reshuffle On Cards?: DK Shivakumar Meets KC Venugopal
Party sources said the Chief Minister wants to complete the process before the state Assembly's Monsoon Session, which is scheduled to begin on August 13.
Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's government is facing a political challenge following the recent Cabinet expansion, with several Congress leaders expressing dissatisfaction with his leadership and some even resigning from their posts. Amid the unrest, Shivakumar met AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal on Monday and discussed a possible minor reshuffle in the Cabinet.
According to PTI, sources said the Chief Minister discussed the possibility of inducting a woman into the Cabinet and allocating portfolios to the newly appointed ministers. Sources also indicated that some portfolios could be reshuffled to accommodate disgruntled MLAs, with one or two newly inducted ministers potentially being dropped.
Kharge Meets Karnataka CM
Shivakumar also met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. The two leaders held discussions for more than two hours. Before leaving for Bengaluru on Monday morning, Shivakumar had also met Venugopal.
Over the past few days, Shivakumar, KPCC president BK Hariprasad, AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala and some ministers have reached out to MLAs who were left out of the Cabinet in an attempt to pacify them.
Party sources said the Chief Minister wants to complete the process before the state Assembly's Monsoon Session, which is scheduled to begin on August 13.
When Will Portfolios Be Allocated?
After meeting Kharge, Shivakumar told reporters that a woman would be inducted into the Cabinet and that there was no need to rush the process. "We have to include a woman; we will do it. There is no hurry. The portfolio allocation will be completed soon," he said.
Karnataka's Cabinet underwent a major expansion earlier this month, with 19 ministers being inducted. This took the total strength of the ministry, including the Chief Minister, to 33. However, portfolios have not yet been allocated to the new ministers.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said there was no confusion over the allocation of portfolios to the newly inducted ministers and that the process would be completed soon.
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