Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said the party leadership is yet to receive any formal proposal on the size or structure of the new Karnataka Cabinet, leaving key decisions related to ministers and deputy chief ministers pending.
“We have to see. No proposal has been made yet. Once it is made, discussions will be held on the number of ministers and deputy chief ministers,” Karji said while speaking to reporters at Kalaburgi airport.
He pointed out that the features of the new government will not become clearer until Shivakumar is sworn in as Prime Minister on June 3. He said: “All these matters are under discussion. We will know that after June 3. Now we have to wait.”
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Karg also suggested that appointments could be spread over multiple rounds. He said, “Whether eight or ten ministers are appointed, we have not received any proposal. Once it comes, one stage may be completed first and the remaining positions can be filled after 15 days or a month.”
As deliberations continued, outgoing Prime Minister Siddaramaiah sought to play an important role in shaping the new administration. The former prime minister raised issues related to cabinet representation, community balance and allocation of portfolios during a meeting with Rahul Gandhi and Karji in Delhi a day after he stepped down from office, leaders familiar with the matter said.
Siddaramaiah is yet to submit the final list of his supporters for inclusion in Shivakumar’s ministry and is expected to complete consultations before forwarding the names to Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala, the leaders said.
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One of Siddaramaiah’s key proposals concerns the appointment of deputy prime ministers. He said such situations should only be considered if major social groups, including Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs and Lingayats, get adequate representation, the above-mentioned leaders said.
The Congress leadership also conveyed that Yatendra Siddaramaiah would be accommodated in the government and could be considered a suitable minister, the leaders said.
Meanwhile, Shivakumar inspected the site designated for the construction of Karnataka Pradesh Bhavan Congress Committee in Bengaluru and said that arrangements are being made for live telecast of the swearing-in ceremony from Lok Bhavan. “Since we are unable to accommodate all our leaders at Lok Bhavan, the ceremony will be broadcast live. All our workers and leaders can also watch from here. I also invite all religious leaders to be part of this event,” he said.
Asked if other leaders would take oath alongside him, Shivakumar said: “I don’t know. Whatever the party high command decides will happen.”
Governor Shivakumar formally informed Thawarchand Gehlot of his unanimous election as leader of the Congress legislature party on Saturday. His promotion comes after Siddaramaiah resigned on May 28.
