The coalition government formed in Karnataka following the alliance between Congress and Janata Dal (Secular), led by the state Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, has finally decided to take up its ministry expansion by the end of this month before the winter session of the state legislature. This will be the first Assembly session for the ruling Congress-JD(S) government in the state.
"It has been decided to induct six legislators from the Congress and two from the JD(S) into ministry by November-end," Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara told reporters in Belagavi on Saturday. "Of the eight legislators to be inducted into the ministry, one may be from Belagavi," he said. Though he did not elaborate, former minister Satish Jarkiholi, legislators Laxmi Hebbalkar and Anjali Nimbalkar from the district are lobbying for a cabinet berth, reported The New Indian Express.
The Karnataka ministry constituting of thirty-four members, of which Congress has twenty-two ministerial berths and JD(S) with twelve. Out of the seats gained, six from Congress and two from JD(S) are vacant. Many Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), especially from Congress, are lobbying for the ministerial berths.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary KC Venugopal and other senior Congress leaders including Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Dinesh Gundu Rao and other leaders had held several meetings in Bengaluru. Dinesh also said that the cabinet expansion will take place by the end of this month.
The ministry expansion which was put off several times in the past months is most likely to take place before the winter session of the state legislature, which is expected to be 10 days long and is likely to start from December 10, at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, Belagavi. The party leadership hopes to pacify the senior leaders offended by the delay of the expansion.
