The stage is set for a cabinet expansion in Karnataka. Based on the final list approved by the Congress high command, the Karnataka cabinet expansion is set to take place today itself. Sources indicate that after the party leadership’s review, around 18 to 20 new ministers are likely to be sworn in. The AICC is set to officially release this list following a meeting between Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Rahul Gandhi. Following this, CM Siddaramaiah… [Note: the document says CM Shivakumar] CM Shivakumar will hand over the list to the state Governor, Thaawarchand Gehlot. The swearing-in ceremony for the new ministers is likely to be held this evening at 4 pm at Lokbhavan.
It is learnt that in this cabinet expansion, the Congress leadership has given significant importance not only to regional, caste, social, and religious balancing but also to women’s representation. In particular, the party leadership finalized this list only after very careful deliberation, taking care not to upset the balance among various social groups.
**Key names being discussed for the cabinet berths:**
– Ponnanna
– Rizwan Arshad
– S.S. Mallikarjun
– Lakshman Savadi
– Yashwantrai Gowda Patil
– Sharath Bachegowda
– Shivalinge Gowda
– Cheluvarayaswamy
– Santosh Lad
– Ajay Singh
– Nayana Motamma
– Puttaranga Shetty
– Mankal Vaidya
– Raghumurthy
– Shivraj Tangadagi
– Lakshmi Hebbalkar
– Madhu Bangarappa
– Narayanaswamy
Currently, Karnataka has only 14 ministers including the Chief Minister, whereas as per constitutional provisions, the state can have up to a maximum of 34 ministers. The leadership has therefore taken up this expansion to fill the remaining vacancies. Ahead of this cabinet exercise, CM Shivakumar, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, KC Venugopal, Randeep Singh Surjewala, and other senior leaders in Delhi have held intense discussions over the past several days.