Karnataka: Tussle For Cabinet Berths Restricts Induction
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
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By Linus Garg
First publised on 2023-05-21 03:41:21
About the Author
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
View all posts by this Author
After the Congress high command arrived at a compromise solution, the new government in Karnataka, under Siddaramaiah, took oath of office in a mega event in Bengaluru with the entire Congress brass (expect Sonia Gandhi) and selected opposition leaders in attendance. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar also took oath along with 8 ministers, with the two top leaders selecting four each. Initially, the buzz was that 28 ministers would be sworn in but as hectic lobbying from both the camps saw multiple candidates for many cabinet berths, the party high command shelved the plan instead of escalating the issue at this juncture. K J George, Lingayat leader M B Patil, Satish Jarkiholi and B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan were inducted from the Sidda camp while Dalit leader G Parameshwara, K H Muniyappa, Ramalinga Reddy and Congress President Mallikarujun Kharge's son Priyank Kharge were inducted from the Shivakumar camp.
The oath-taking ceremony was attended by leaders or representatives of 18 political parties. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, Sharad Pawar, Tamil Nadu CM D K Stalin, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, Kerala CM P Vijayan, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI's D Raja along with actor-politician Kamal Hassan attended the event, among others. TMC sent MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar as its representative as Mamata Banerjee was pre-occupied. The Congress had not invited Telangana CM KCR, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Andhra CM Jagan Reddy.
After the swearing-in, the Congress must get down to resolve the tussle between the chief minister and his deputy to have a full strength cabinet in place. Reports suggest that the list of 28 ministers was ready but was not disclosed as both camps objected to several names put forward by the other. The party high command is trying to build consensus before announcing the names to prevent heartburn and dissent among those who lose out. With Mallikarjun Kharge receiving praise from most quarters for his deft handling of the leadership tussle in the state, it is expected that he will iron out the differences in cabinet formation too within a couple of days.
