Hectic lobbying for cabinet berths

Bengaluru: The lobbying is going ahead in the Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) for the ministerial posts in the Karnataka coalition government ahead of today’s cabinet expansion.

“The list of our ministers for the 21 cabinet posts is being settled in Delhi by our party high summon and will be made open by Wednesday morning, ahead of the cabinet expansion toward the evening,” a Congress official told the media here. 

Party’s state President and Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara talked about the list with party President Rahul Gandhi and party’s state in-charge K.C. Venugopal. 

“The list is being settled keeping in mind the portrayal for every district in the state and the caste combination that must be kept up for adjusting the ministry’s composition,” said the official, who did not have any desire to be named. 

As per party sources, Gandhi has recommended that the Congress ministers ought to be a blend of more young and senior legislators and portrayal for atleast one woman MLA.

The officials to be accepted were shortlisted after talks with the party’s state leaders, incorporating the Congress Leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, party’s leader in the state assembly and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and former Union Ministers K. Muniyappa and Veerappa Moily. 

“We will declare names of the legislators to be made ministers after our high order endorses it by Tuesday night or Wednesday morning,” Parameshwara told correspondents in New Delhi. 

In the JD-S as well, which has 11 ministerial posts, campaigning was going ahead among the 35 legislators, party’s state leaders and their supremo H.D. Deve Gowda. 

“Our list of legislators to take vow as ministers will be prepared by Wednesday. I am waiting for the Congress list. Both the party’s will choose if the cabinet development ought to be made in one go or in two stages when we meet on Wednesday,” Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy told journalists here.