Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah will depart for the national capital via a special flight from HAL Airport in Bengaluru on Tuesday morning.
The cabinet expansion has been anticipated ever since Shivakumar assumed office as chief minister on June 3 this year, following Siddaramaiah’s tenure.
With the Legislative session set to commence on August 6, there’s mounting pressure on the Congress government to fill the vacant positions.
The current state cabinet comprises 14 ministers, including the chief minister, leaving 20 ministerial roles unfilled.
As Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah prepare for their trip to Delhi, lobbying for ministerial positions has increased significantly.
Several legislators, considered frontrunners, are reported to have set up camp in Delhi to secure cabinet appointments.
In addition to the Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah factions, minority groups, particularly Muslims, are exerting pressure to obtain at least four ministerial roles, with sources indicating that B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan is also advocating strongly for inclusion in the cabinet.
Sources suggest that most of the remaining 20 ministerial positions will be filled shortly, and “the oath-taking ceremony is likely to occur on Thursday or Friday.” The Congress leadership will also determine the Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly following the resignation of the previous speaker U T Khader, who is now the Health Minister in the Shivakumar administration.
