'Karnataka Cabinet expansion on Dec 22 unlikely'

The Karnataka Cabinet will not be expanded until after the Lok Sabha elections next year, Congress legislator J N Ganesh claimed on Thursday.

His claim comes a day after the Congress-JD(S) Coalition Coordination and Monitoring Committee fixed December 22 for expanding Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s Cabinet.

“I’m not sure the Cabinet expansion will happen on December 22. There’s just too much dissidence within the party. It won’t happen till the Lok Sabha elections,” Ganesh, who represents the Kampli constituency in Ballari, told reporters.

Eight out of 34 Cabinet positions are vacant in Karnataka, of which the Congress can fill up six. The party is under tremendous pressure from over a dozen ministerial aspirants, including senior leaders, who are miffed. Some of them have even threatened to raise a banner of revolt.

Expansion of the Cabinet has missed several deadlines, which has only added to the disgruntlement.

Ganesh also claimed that over 40 legislators supported the idea of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah becoming the chief minister again. “If not now, he should become the chief minister after the next Assembly polls.”