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Shivakumar, who recently took the oath as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, remains engaged in firefighting amid dissent among his cabinet colleagues over portfolio allocation
Shivakumar, who recently took the oath as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, remains engaged in firefighting amid dissent among his cabinet colleagues over portfolio allocation
With dissatisfaction surfacing among his cabinet colleagues over the allocation of cabinet portfolios, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar will embark on a two-day visit to New Delhi on Wednesday.
According to a report by the news agency PTI, citing sources, the Chief Minister will meet the Congress high command and likely discuss cabinet expansion and portfolio distribution.
Shivakumar — a Congress veteran who recently took the oath as the Chief Minister of Karnataka — remains engaged in firefighting amid dissent among his cabinet colleagues over portfolio allocation.
According to the PTI report, the Chief Minister will land in Delhi on Wednesday noon, June 10, and visit the AICC headquarters. In the evening, Shivakumar is scheduled to convene a meeting of senior IAS officers.
The Cabinet Crisis Under DK’s Rule
Shivakumar’s visit to New Delhi comes at a time when several Congress legislators are lobbying for cabinet berths ahead of the next expansion, pressing for the induction of fresh faces into the ministry.
On June 3, Shivakumar was sworn in the Karnataka Chief Minister along with 13 ministers, days after his predecessor and a key Dalit face of the party, Siddaramaiah, stepped down.
With Karnataka’s ministry having a sanctioned strength of 34, including the Chief Minister, 20 positions remain vacant.
A few days back, disgruntlement among leaders came to light when senior Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy resigned after he was allocated the Major and Medium Irrigation portfolio and not the Bengaluru Development portfolio, which was assigned to Krishna Byre Gowda.
Gowda, who has been entrusted with the Greater Bengaluru Development portfolio, is reportedly upset over the Chief Minister retaining control over Bengaluru’s two influential departments — Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA).
He has been assigned the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and five city corporations under it, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and Bengaluru Metro.
During a meeting with CM Shivakumar, he reportedly sought the inclusion of the BDA, BMRDA and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) under the Bengaluru Development portfolio, requesting clarity on the department’s structure.
Gowda, a legislator from Byatarayanapura, reportedly told the Chief Minister that he would assume the charge once the issue is resolved.
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