Congress and JD(S) supremo discuss cabinet expansion in Karnataka


Devdiscourse News Desk | Delhi | Updated: 05-10-2018 03:34 IST | Created: 04-10-2018 20:05 IST
Congress and JD(S) supremo discuss cabinet expansion in Karnataka
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The JD(S) and its coalition partner Congress held talks in the national capital on Thursday to finalise the names for cabinet expansion in Karnataka.

The discussions were held between the former prime minister and JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda and state Congress in charge K C Venugopal here.

After the meeting, Gowda said, "We discussed filling up the vacant posts. The Congress High Command will decide (on the cabinet expansion) after taking Siddaramaiah and the deputy chief minister into confidence."

Siddaramaiah heads coordination committee of the coalition government in Karnataka.

The much-awaited expansion of the H D Kumaraswamy ministry in Karnataka is likely to take place next week and aspirants from Congress have already started lobbying for ministerial berths.

This would be the second expansion of the cabinet since the coalition came to power in May in a post-poll tie-up between the Congress and JD(S).

In the earlier exercise on June 6, Kumaraswamy had inducted 25 ministers, taking the ministry's strength to 27.

There are six vacant ministerial positions for the Congress and one for the JD(S). Under the power-sharing arrangement reached by the two parties, the Congress will have 22 ministers and the JD(S) 12.

The decision to expand the cabinet has come amid speculations that some disgruntled Congress MLAs were being wooed by the BJP, besides reported factionalism within the party.

With a growing number of aspirants and limited ministerial berths in hand, the Congress was preparing a list of MLAs to be appointed as heads to boards and corporations in an effort to pacify them, party sources said.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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