Karnataka: With bypolls over, MLAs gearing up to meet AICC leadership to lobby for Cabinet berths
Siddaramaiah was postponing the exercise as the party leadership was busy with one election or another. Cabinet berth aspirants believe this is the right time to step up the pressure for a Cabinet reshuffle as by-elections in the state are over and the state’s Congress regime completes three years next month.
Also Read: Pressure mounts for cabinet registry in Karnataka, Congress MLAs to meet high command in Delhi
The long list of candidates includes MLAs Ashok Pattana, Puttaranga Shetty, Subba Reddy, Priya Krishna, Rizwan Arshad, BR Patil, Laxman Savadi, Vinay Kulkarni, NA Haris and MLC Saleem Ahmed.
They plan to meet AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretaries KC Venugopal and RS Surjewala and, if possible, Rahul Gandhi and present their views on reshuffling the Cabinet at an early time. The CM has repeatedly said that he is ready to carry out the exercise as soon as he gets the green signal from the party leadership.
The party delayed its decision due to intense lobbying by a section of MLAs to become ministers and parallel efforts by Dy CM DK Shivakumar’s followers to put forward its case for the CM’s post.
There was also speculation that Shivakumar delayed implementing the reshuffle last year as such a move would have hampered his chances of becoming CM.Also Read: Congress to lose by-polls in Karnataka, says government intelligence report: BJP
Siddaramaiah was particularly keen on filling the two vacant Cabinet posts caused by the resignation of tribal ministers B Nagendra and KN Rajanna. Any prolonged delay will damage the image he has cultivated over the years as an advocate for Ahinda (short for minorities, backward classes and Dalit) voters.
The CM has been hard at work for nearly three years, managing the candidates and giving them hope that they might get a chance in the upcoming reshuffle.
