<p>New Delhi: In the midst of ongoing leadership tussle in Karnataka, a group of about 20 Congress MLAs on Monday met party president <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/mallikarjun-kharge">Mallikarjun Kharge</a> and pressed for an immediate cabinet reshuffle in the Siddaramaiah government to accommodate fresh faces.</p><p>The MLAs, including former minister and Delhi Special Representative T B Jayachandra, Chief Whip P M Ashok Pattan, and others such as Y V Patil, G S Patil, Basavaraj Shivannanavar, J T Patil, Yashwanthraya Gouda Patil,Raghavendra Hitnal, A R Krishna Murthy, Beluru Gopalakrishna, Narayana Swamy, D G Shantanagouda, Shadakshari, C Puttaranga Setty, Ravi Ganiga, B Shivanna, and Hampanagouda Badarli and others met Kharge.</p><p>The legislators held a closed-door meeting with Kharge for over half an hour.</p>.Cabinet reshuffle | 'Maintain discipline or face action': D K Shivakumar warns ministerial aspirants.<p>Emerging from the meeting, Jayachandra told reporters that the legislators urged Kharge to advise Chief Minister <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/siddaramaiah">Siddaramaiah</a> to carry out a cabinet rejig by inducting new faces.</p><p>“We reminded him about the long-pending reshuffle. We suggested that reshuffle will help strengthen the party ahead of the upcoming local body elections,” Jayachandra said.</p><p>He added that Kharge gave them a patient hearing and assured them that their demand would be addressed soon.</p><p>“We hope the cabinet will be reshuffled at the earliest,” Jayachandra said.</p><p>When asked about any possibility of a leadership change in the state, Jayachandra clarified: “We have not discussed that issue at all. It is entirely up to the high command to take a call.”</p><p>The MLAs are expected to remain in the national capital for a few more days and are planning to meet Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal and Karnataka in-charge General Secretary Randeep Surjewala.</p><p>The move comes after a strategy meeting held over dinner in Bengaluru last month, where the dissident MLAs deliberated on their demands following the recent by-elections.</p>.Karnataka Congress MLAs in Delhi seeking cabinet reshuffle.<p>While Siddaramaiah’s camp is pushing for a cabinet expansion and reshuffle, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar is reportedly opposed to it.</p><p>Currently, two cabinet berths remain vacant following the resignations of K N Rajanna and B Nagendra.</p><p>Sources within the party indicated that senior leader Rahul Gandhi is expected to call both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to Delhi in mid-next month — after the five-state assembly election results — to resolve the simmering leadership issue. </p><p>The Congress high command is said to be favourable to a major reshuffle, including dropping nearly 20 ministers and bringing in new faces.</p>
<p>New Delhi: In the midst of ongoing leadership tussle in Karnataka, a group of about 20 Congress MLAs on Monday met party president <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/mallikarjun-kharge">Mallikarjun Kharge</a> and pressed for an immediate cabinet reshuffle in the Siddaramaiah government to accommodate fresh faces.</p><p>The MLAs, including former minister and Delhi Special Representative T B Jayachandra, Chief Whip P M Ashok Pattan, and others such as Y V Patil, G S Patil, Basavaraj Shivannanavar, J T Patil, Yashwanthraya Gouda Patil,Raghavendra Hitnal, A R Krishna Murthy, Beluru Gopalakrishna, Narayana Swamy, D G Shantanagouda, Shadakshari, C Puttaranga Setty, Ravi Ganiga, B Shivanna, and Hampanagouda Badarli and others met Kharge.</p><p>The legislators held a closed-door meeting with Kharge for over half an hour.</p>.Cabinet reshuffle | 'Maintain discipline or face action': D K Shivakumar warns ministerial aspirants.<p>Emerging from the meeting, Jayachandra told reporters that the legislators urged Kharge to advise Chief Minister <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/siddaramaiah">Siddaramaiah</a> to carry out a cabinet rejig by inducting new faces.</p><p>“We reminded him about the long-pending reshuffle. We suggested that reshuffle will help strengthen the party ahead of the upcoming local body elections,” Jayachandra said.</p><p>He added that Kharge gave them a patient hearing and assured them that their demand would be addressed soon.</p><p>“We hope the cabinet will be reshuffled at the earliest,” Jayachandra said.</p><p>When asked about any possibility of a leadership change in the state, Jayachandra clarified: “We have not discussed that issue at all. It is entirely up to the high command to take a call.”</p><p>The MLAs are expected to remain in the national capital for a few more days and are planning to meet Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal and Karnataka in-charge General Secretary Randeep Surjewala.</p><p>The move comes after a strategy meeting held over dinner in Bengaluru last month, where the dissident MLAs deliberated on their demands following the recent by-elections.</p>.Karnataka Congress MLAs in Delhi seeking cabinet reshuffle.<p>While Siddaramaiah’s camp is pushing for a cabinet expansion and reshuffle, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar is reportedly opposed to it.</p><p>Currently, two cabinet berths remain vacant following the resignations of K N Rajanna and B Nagendra.</p><p>Sources within the party indicated that senior leader Rahul Gandhi is expected to call both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to Delhi in mid-next month — after the five-state assembly election results — to resolve the simmering leadership issue. </p><p>The Congress high command is said to be favourable to a major reshuffle, including dropping nearly 20 ministers and bringing in new faces.</p>