Karnataka Cabinet: 28 ministers likely to be sworn in today, Congress tries to find caste and regional balance

“As many as 28 ministers could be sworn in along with the CM and Deputy CM. The party does not want to delay the government formation anymore. The lists are being finalised and will be cleared by the high command,” Congress sources said on Friday evening. “Around four Cabinet berths may be kept vacant for induction later.”

With the state Congress divided into the Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar camps, the party high command will decide the candidates proposed by the two leaders to be ministers based on caste, regional representation, and merit yardsticks. The Congress is expected to wipe the slate clean and induct a new set of ministers at the end of 30 months when Shivakumar is expected to receive the CM’s baton from Siddaramaiah as per an internal agreement, according to Congress sources.

The Congress won 135 seats in the Assembly polls for the 224-member legislature and some of the senior leaders in the party have called for decisions on ministers to be based on the communities that strongly supported it in the elections. There is, however, strong lobbying from the MLAs across the board for representation in the Cabinet.

On Friday, the supporters of MLA Yashavantraygoud Patil, the three-time legislator from the Indi constituency in Vijayapura district on the Maharashtra border, were among those who gathered outside the Congress office in Bengaluru and raised slogans in the legislator’s favour. “There has been no representation for our region in the Cabinet for many years. Our MLA has won thrice in a row. He should be rewarded,” one of the supporters said.

Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar with party leaders Randeep Surjewala, Siddaramaiah and others celebrates his birthday after the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting, in Bengaluru. (PTI Photo)

As many as 20 Congress MLAs aspiring for a ministerial position were camping in Delhi as of Friday and trying to meet AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge to press their case.

There is a certain amount of disappointment with the decision to appoint Shivakumar as the sole Deputy CM. The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief’s insistence on being the lone Deputy CM has resulted in several community leaders being disappointed. Former Deputy CM G Parameshwara, a Dalit who earlier insisted on being appointed to the position has, changed his stance and could be a favourite to be a Deputy CM 30 months later when the CM baton is expected to be passed on to Shivakumar.

As many as three women are front-runners to be ministers. Among them are Lakshmi Hebbalkar and Roopakala Shashidar, while lone Muslim woman MLA Kaneez Fathima is a dark horse. Roopakala who is Dalit is in contention for a ministerial post along with her father and party veteran K H Muniyappa. Sources said only one of the two would get the nod.

“Dalit representation in the Cabinet has been left to the party high command. This time, the Dalit community, the Lingayat community, and minorities have stood firmly with the Congress. In the Dalits out of a total of 51 seats (36 SC and 15 ST), we have won 35 and also in two general category seats. There are a total of 37 and there has been an effect of the Dalit support in other constituencies as well. We have to see what kind of justice they give to these communities,” said Parameshwara.

The Congress won 37 of the 48 seats (77%) where it fielded Lingayat candidates and there is a demand from the community for a large chunk of Cabinet berths. Former BJP CM Jagadish Shettar, whose switch from the BJP to the Congress is believed to have had an impact on the Congress fortunes in Lingayat seats despite Shettar himself losing, called upon Siddaramaiah on Friday even as former BJP CM B S Yediyurappa’s son B Y Vijayendra accused the Congress of shortchanging Lingayats after using their support to win the elections.

“After using Lingayats as a pedestal for its greed for power, Stalwarts of Congress have suddenly gone silent when it comes to offering CM or even DCM. Ironically, even after winning a max of 39 MLAs from Congress, Lingayats find themselves without any strong voice to demand rightful positions,” said the BJP’s Vijayendra – who is aspiring to fill his father’s shoes as the next big Lingayat leader.

“True face of Congress has been unveiled for an infinite time. Congress which has always mistreated Lingayats can never do real justice to the community,” Vijayendra said on social media.

Among the top Lingayat favourites to find a place in the Cabinet are veterans such as M B Patil and Shamanur Shivashankarappa. Among the Dalits, the presence of Parameshwara from the SC Right group is considered almost certain. Among the Muslims, the favourites are U T Khader and Tanvir Sait. A favourite with the Siddaramaiah camp, Zameer Ahmed is reportedly not a favourite with the Shivakumar faction. Zameer is considered one of the most influential Muslim leaders in the state but is not on a good footing with the KPCC chief due to multiple skirmishes in the last couple of years.

With as many as 21 of the 43 Vokkaligas fielded by the Congress winning the polls a strong Vokkaliga contingent is also expected in the Cabinet, especially from the Mandya region, given the fact that D K Shivakumar who is a Vokkaliga missed the CM post when it was awarded to Siddaramaiah who is from the Other Backward Class (OBC) Kuruba community.

“We have given guarantees and promised a good administration. Everyone must keep that in mind. People have seen the administration of the BJP for five years. Now we have been chosen and if we act in the same way people will reject us. We should not become one-sided because someone is in power,” Parameshwara said, warning about factionalism in the party.

The swearing-in ceremony is expected to witness a massive public gathering at the Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday after Shivakumar extended an open invitation. Congress workers teemed at the party office in central Bengaluru on Friday in search of an official invitation to the ceremony.