Karnataka Cabinet reshuffle: CM Siddaramaiah to finalise new list of ministers soon

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is reportedly preparing for a ministry reshuffle before the Assembly session, which begins on 4 July. The swearing-in ceremony for the new ministers is likely to be held on 20 June. Siddaramaiah is expected to finalise the new list in a day or two after getting the green signal from Congress president Sonia Gandhi. “We discussed all names to be dropped and inducted with the AICC President and Vice President Sonia and Rahulji. We have convinced them. High Command has authorised me to go ahead with the reshuffle,” Siddaramaiah told reporters after the second round of consultations [caption id=“attachment_2841960” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Siddaramaiah. PTI[/caption] “By tomorrow or the day after, I will prepare a list and submit it to the Governor, after which they will take oath,” the Chief Minister said. “It has been three years for our government, time has come for me to reshuffle the Cabinet keeping the forthcoming election in mind. I will do it in consultation with Congress president Sonia Gandhi,” Siddaramaiah said at a meeting of council of ministers on 15 June The Chief Minister has already signalled that the exercise would involve “dropping a few and inducting a few.” He hopes to bring dynamism into his government and induct ministers to make the ministry more responsive, according to The New Indian Express. Some senior leaders have expressed their reservation over the chief minister’s plan to reshuffle the Cabinet and more importantly, on the new list prepared by him. The state leaders feel that the list lacks regional and caste balance. This list could not get the approval of Sonia Gandhi, who wanted more deliberations on it. Several ruling Congress legislators are engaged in hectic lobbying for ministerial berths. Though many senior ministers are opposed to a major revamp, they conveyed their readiness to accept any decision that the high command would take in deciding the composition of the ministry, The New Indian Express reported. Labour Minister PT Parameshwara Naik who is likely to be dropped from the new Cabinet told the media in Bengaluru that he is ready to accept any job assigned to him. Similarly, Industries and Tourism Minister RV Deshpande said that it was the prerogative of the CM to undertake the Cabinet reshuffle, reported India Today. Deccan Chronicle reported that Siddaramaiah might drop Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge’s loyalists. Reportedly Kharge met Sonia Gandhi before and after her meeting with Siddaramaiah. However, sources close to Kharge denied these allegations and termed the meetings as ‘routine’ to discuss Parliamentary issues. The exercise is being undertaken to tone up the government after Congress’ debacle in recent Assembly polls in four states, especially Assam. Karnataka is the only major state with the Congress in power after losing power recently in Kerala and Assam.