Yatendra Siddaramaiah on Monday said he was confident of finding a place in Chief Minister-designate DK Shivakumar’s cabinet, dismissing speculation that he was being considered for the deputy chief minister’s post.
“The last time I visited the high command, Rahul Gandhi said my interest will be taken care of. He said I will be appointed in the cabinet, so I am optimistic. Whatever the ministry is, I will be happy,” Yatindra told reporters in Bengaluru.
When asked if he was eyeing the position of deputy prime minister, he replied: “No.”
His remarks came as Shivakumar, the outgoing chief minister and Yatindra’s father, Siddaramaiah, traveled to New Delhi to consult the Congress leadership on forming the new government. Shivakumar’s swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to begin at 4 pm on Wednesday.
Party leaders familiar with the matter said discussions are expected to include ministerial appointments, allocation of ministerial portfolios and broader power-sharing arrangements within the government. They noted that not all ministerial positions may be filled immediately.
Congress MLA Ashok M Pattan said the first round of appointments could be limited to around 10 ministers, with the remaining seats likely to be filled later. “I think there will also be a meeting tonight, and tomorrow, I think there will be a meeting to take over the ministries in Karnataka. The swearing-in ceremony will be held on Wednesday at 4 pm,” Pathan said. “I’m also trying sincerely, but I think there are two phases, and I think according to my information, in the first batch, the swearing-in ceremony will be held for 10 members.”
He said the rest of the Cabinet could be completed in the first week of next month after the Legislative Council and Rajya Sabha elections. “Other people will be announced next month, in the first week, because of the Assembly elections, Rajya Sabha elections there. I think after that they will form a full ministry,” he said.
Regarding the reports on the proposed coordination committee, Pathan said that the matter rests entirely with the Congress leadership. “The high command will decide on the coordination committee or all other screening committees. The high command will decide; we cannot decide anything. They will not ask for our opinion either because this is purely a high command decision,” he said.
Congress leaders who arrived in Delhi indicated that other organizational matters could also come up for discussion, including the possibility of appointing deputy prime ministers and forming a coordination mechanism within the state unit.
Rajya Sabha MP Naseer Hussain said the party leadership will take the final decision on the composition of the ministry while ensuring representation across regions and communities.
Earlier in the day, Shivakumar outlined his vision for the education sector and said that artificial intelligence will form an important part of the state’s future policy direction. He said: “I love education very much. The academic year begins today. Karnataka students have contributed to serving the nation. Our students are studying in universities all over the world. Their basic education is in Karnataka. They are looking at India through Karnataka.”
He added: “Now we are heading into a new era. This is the era of artificial intelligence, and we will go through artificial intelligence in the future. This will be our policy. We will give a new form to education in the future. Therefore, I congratulate the current government and the future government.”
