HDK likely to defer Cabinet expansion

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy is likely to defer the proposed Cabinet expansion, aimed at dousing discontent within the party and shoring up the numbers in the Assembly, as senior Congress leaders have been openly airing their anger at being 'neglected'.

Kumaraswamy wanted to fill three existing Cabinet vacancies this week. The CM’s plan was to induct Ranebennur MLA R Shankar of Karnataka Pragnavantha Janatha Party and independent MLA H Nagesh from Mulbagal into the Cabinet. The remaining one would go to the coalition partner, the Congress.

The dilemma

But growing discontentment has thrown a spanner in the chief minister’s plan. While senior leaders R Roshan Baig and Ramalinga Reddy recently lashed out at the party leadership for according importance to “immigrants”, many of the party leaders, including V Muniyappa and Tanveer Sait, have not only supported Baig and Reddy but expressed their desire to serve as ministers.

This has left Kumaraswamy and the state Congress leadership in a fix. Expanding the Cabinet at this juncture would aggravate the situation. The Congress has a long list of MLAs who want to become ministers. It would in the interest of the coalition government to postpone expansion/reshuffle of the Cabinet for the time being, Congress sources said.

Besides, it is said that JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda is not in favour of inducting Shankar and Nagesh into the Cabinet under the party’s quota. He is understood to have asked the Congress to accommodate one of them under its quota.

On being asked about the cabinet expansion, Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah said the question should be posed to the chief minister.