Uncertainty looms over Karnataka Cabinet expansion

Uncertainty looms over the expansion of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s Cabinet as AICC president Rahul Gandhi has not given his approval yet.

Of the 34 cabinet posts, the Congress can fill six and alliance partner JD(S) can fill two. There is immense pressure on the Congress to fill the vacant berths. Senior leaders are mounting pressure on the Congress leadership.

“We’ve requested the leadership to expand the cabinet before the start of the winter session of the legislature on a December 10. We’ve conveyed this to AICC general secretary and Karnataka in-charge K C Venugopal. He should discuss it with Rahul Gandhi. The discussion hasn’t happened because Gandhi is busy with elections in five states,” Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara told reporters here.

This raises the doubt that the cabinet expansion might not take place soon.

Expansion of the cabinet has missed several deadlines in the past, much to the disgruntlement of many Congress leaders who are ministerial aspirants.

Some of them had even threatened to raise a banner of revolt.

Party workers are also pressurising the party to appoint them as chairpersons of statutory boards and corporations.