Congress on edge: Karnataka to see leadership change or Cabinet rejig?

Bengaluru: The power struggle within the ruling Congress may be unravelling with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah pushing for a reshuffle in his Cabinet much to his deputy D K Shivakumar’s chagrin.

The buzz in Siddaramaiah’s circle is that new faces will be brought into the Cabinet towards the end of November, when the government would have completed two and a half years in office and the Bihar election done.

Such a midterm Cabinet reshuffle could mean bad news for Shivakumar, who is waiting in the wings to lay claim to the chief minister’s chair.

By floating the idea of a Cabinet reshuffle, Siddaramaiah is looking to convey the message that there will not be any change in the leadership in the state.

He may even dangle this to tempt MLAs sulking due to lack of funds, beckon ministerial aspirants and keep incumbent Cabinet members close to him.

Reacting to Siddaramaiah’s plan to reshuffle the Cabinet, Shivakumar said he had no idea.

“I don’t know anything about that,” Shivakumar, the Karnataka Congress president, said. “It is left to the party high command and the CM. If I am asked, I will give my opinion,” he said curtly.

Shivakumar also requested people not to speculate. “Don’t heed any such discussion and create confusion,” he said. According to sources, Shivakumar has been arguing within the party that a Cabinet rejig should happen along with him becoming the CM.

Shivakumar is said to have asked his loyalists not to get intimidated by “machinations” from Siddaramaiah’s camp. It is also said that Shivakumar is confident that his time will come.

Adding to the curiosity was an hour-long closed-door meeting Home Minister G Parameshwara, Social Welfare Minister Dr H C Mahadevappa (both SCs) and Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi (ST) had on Thursday. Further, it is said that a delegation from the party wants to meet the high command after the Bihar polls to seek clarity on the ‘leadership’ issue and press for the appointment of a new Karnataka Congress president.

Meanwhile, Bangarpet MLA S N Narayanaswamy said he should be made a minister. “The SC (Right) population is high in Kolar. No SC (Right) lawmaker has become a minister from this region in many years,” he said. Recently, Chief Whip Saleem Ahmed also demanded a Cabinet position citing seniority.

Power play

CM floating reshuffle plan to indicate that there will be no leadership change

He may even dangle rejig idea to tempt MLAs sulking due to lack of funds

Shivakumar contending that Cabinet rejig should coincide with him becoming CM 

DKS said that to be confident that his time will come

CM to hold banquet for ministers

CM Siddaramaiah will hold a banquet for his Cabinet colleagues on October 13 where he wants to discuss what the Congress government can do to fight off corruption allegations which caused the undoing of the previous BJP regime.