<p>New Delhi: Amid Karnataka’s leadership tussle, Over 20 Congress MLAs arrived here on Sunday to press the high command for a cabinet reshuffle in the Siddaramaiah government and accommodate new faces.</p><p>MLAs including Delhi Special Representative and MLA T B Jayachandra, MLAs P M Ashok Pattan, A R Krishna Murthy, Beluru Gopalakrishna, Narayana Swamy, D G Shantanagouda, Shadakshari, C Puttaranga Setty, Ravi Ganiga, B Shivanna, and Hampanagouda Badarli have already reached the national capital. Over 10 other MLAs will join the group by Monday morning. </p><p>The legislators are planning to meet Central leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress General Secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal and General Secretary ( in charge of Karnataka) Randeep Surjewala over the next two days. </p>.Karnataka bypolls: Congress accepts Minority dept chief’s resignation amid claims of ‘internal conspiracy’.<p>The MLAs move follows a strategy meeting over dinner in Bengaluru last month, where they deliberated on their demands amid growing calls for a rejig after the upcoming by-elections.</p><p>While Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s camp is pushing for a cabinet reshuffle, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is eyeing the Chief Minister’s post, is opposed to the reshuffle.</p><p>Currently, two Cabinet berths are vacant due to the resignation of K N Rajanna and B Nagendra.</p><p>Senior leader Rahul Gandhi has expressed his desire to summon Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in mid-next month, after the five-state assembly election results, to settle the leadership issue in Karnataka. The party's top brass is also in favour of a cabinet reshuffle by dropping nearly 20 ministers and bringing in new faces, sources said.</p><p>The MLAs clarified that they were not in Delhi to lobby for either the Siddaramaiah or the Shivakumar camp, but only to remind the high command about the pending cabinet reshuffle.</p><p>"Over 30 MLAs including senior legislators and first timers will be in Delhi by tomorrow morning. We already held two rounds to meeting among ourselves and also with Chief Minister. We have told the CM to rejig his cabinet to accommodate new faces. The same demand will be placed before the party's top leaders here in the next two days" Hampanagouda Badarli told media persons here. </p><p>"The party high command had promised a cabinet reshuffle after two years. Now, more than two and a half years later, no reshuffle has happened. We will remind the top leaders about the pending reshuffle,” he said.</p><p>MLA Ashok Pattan, close to Siddaramaiah, said that with just about two years left, it was time for a Cabinet reshuffle. If the same set of people become Ministers every time, then what happens to other legislators, he said.</p><p> Another legislator, Shantanagouda, said new faces need to be inducted, and we have sought time from leaders for a meet over the next two days.</p><p>"Our demand on cabinet reshuffle. The change of leadership issue is left to party high command," Krishna Murthy told the media here. </p>
<p>New Delhi: Amid Karnataka’s leadership tussle, Over 20 Congress MLAs arrived here on Sunday to press the high command for a cabinet reshuffle in the Siddaramaiah government and accommodate new faces.</p><p>MLAs including Delhi Special Representative and MLA T B Jayachandra, MLAs P M Ashok Pattan, A R Krishna Murthy, Beluru Gopalakrishna, Narayana Swamy, D G Shantanagouda, Shadakshari, C Puttaranga Setty, Ravi Ganiga, B Shivanna, and Hampanagouda Badarli have already reached the national capital. Over 10 other MLAs will join the group by Monday morning. </p><p>The legislators are planning to meet Central leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress General Secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal and General Secretary ( in charge of Karnataka) Randeep Surjewala over the next two days. </p>.Karnataka bypolls: Congress accepts Minority dept chief’s resignation amid claims of ‘internal conspiracy’.<p>The MLAs move follows a strategy meeting over dinner in Bengaluru last month, where they deliberated on their demands amid growing calls for a rejig after the upcoming by-elections.</p><p>While Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s camp is pushing for a cabinet reshuffle, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is eyeing the Chief Minister’s post, is opposed to the reshuffle.</p><p>Currently, two Cabinet berths are vacant due to the resignation of K N Rajanna and B Nagendra.</p><p>Senior leader Rahul Gandhi has expressed his desire to summon Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in mid-next month, after the five-state assembly election results, to settle the leadership issue in Karnataka. The party's top brass is also in favour of a cabinet reshuffle by dropping nearly 20 ministers and bringing in new faces, sources said.</p><p>The MLAs clarified that they were not in Delhi to lobby for either the Siddaramaiah or the Shivakumar camp, but only to remind the high command about the pending cabinet reshuffle.</p><p>"Over 30 MLAs including senior legislators and first timers will be in Delhi by tomorrow morning. We already held two rounds to meeting among ourselves and also with Chief Minister. We have told the CM to rejig his cabinet to accommodate new faces. The same demand will be placed before the party's top leaders here in the next two days" Hampanagouda Badarli told media persons here. </p><p>"The party high command had promised a cabinet reshuffle after two years. Now, more than two and a half years later, no reshuffle has happened. We will remind the top leaders about the pending reshuffle,” he said.</p><p>MLA Ashok Pattan, close to Siddaramaiah, said that with just about two years left, it was time for a Cabinet reshuffle. If the same set of people become Ministers every time, then what happens to other legislators, he said.</p><p> Another legislator, Shantanagouda, said new faces need to be inducted, and we have sought time from leaders for a meet over the next two days.</p><p>"Our demand on cabinet reshuffle. The change of leadership issue is left to party high command," Krishna Murthy told the media here. </p>
