K’taka CM travels to Delhi amid rift over portfolios, pending expansion

BEngaluruDK Shivakumar used his number one see to young new delhi as mysore chief minister to open discussions with the Congress leadership on two issues already generating friction within the party: dissatisfaction over cabinet portfolios and the filling of 20 vacant ministerial positions.Arriving in the capital from Bengaluru on Wednesday, Shivakumar met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge along with senior party leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala and K.C. Venugopal. According to party leaders, the talks focused on easing discontent over portfolio assignments and preparing for a cabinet expansion that is expected after elections to the Legislative Council conclude on June 18.The consultations come as several ministers have privately voiced unhappiness over the departments allotted to them. Among them is Krishna Byre Gowda, who has been in Delhi pressing his case before senior party leaders. People familiar with the discussions said he has sought a revision of his portfolio and argued that authority over Bengaluru’s key civic institutions should be placed under his department.Byre Gowda, who had yet to formally assume charge of the department, has maintained that responsibility for Bengaluru’s infrastructure and urban development challenges cannot be separated from control over the agencies that oversee planning approvals, land development and metropolitan expansion.Leaders involved in the consultations said Byre Gowda had conveyed the same position to Shivakumar, Surjewala and other senior Congress figures, including Rahul Gandhi. He has argued that the department would have limited practical authority without oversight of the civic bodies that shape much of Bengaluru’s urban planning and development.Minister MB Patil, talking reporters in Bengaluru, said that there is no rift within the party. “Did Byre Gowda say there is an issue. Whatever matters that are being discussed will be resolved by the party,” he said.At the same time, pressure is building within the ruling party over cabinet expansion. Senior legislators, former ministers and first time MLAs are all seeking inclusion in the ministry, and many aspirants have travelled to Delhi to lobby the party leadership.Yathindra Siddaramaiah in an interview to HT had said that the cabinet expansion will take place after the MLC and Rajya Sabha elections. Discussions with the high command have included the possibility of filling all 20 remaining ministerial vacancies in a single exercise.Party leaders said considerations such as regional representation, caste balance and seniority are expected to influence the final composition. They added that the leadership has also examined whether greater space should be given to newcomers, potentially at the expense of some figures who previously served in Siddaramaiah’s cabinet.While preliminary consultations have been completed, the final list of ministers is expected to be settled only after another round of meetings. According to people familiar with the talks, the Congress leadership has advised Shivakumar to proceed cautiously to avoid reigniting tensions already visible in the debate over portfolio allocation.During his visit, Shivakumar also stopped at the All India Congress Committee headquarters as well as the offices of the NSUI, Youth Congress and All India Women’s Congress. He is scheduled to attend a dinner with senior IAS officers and will participate in a NITI Aayog meeting before returning to Bengaluru after further consultations with party leaders.