Hours ahead of the swearing-in ceremony in Karnataka, Congress announces its first list of ministers. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has reportedly approved the list.
Previously, Karnataka chief minister-designate Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister-designate D K Shivakumar discussed the modalities of cabinet formation in the state with the party leadership in Delhi and are learnt to have shortlisted some names of ministers and their portfolios.
Sources said that 20 to 25 ministers could take oath on Saturday.
Some prominent names included former Karnataka Congress chief and ex-deputy chief minister G Parameshwara, Lingayat leader M B Patil, senior Congressman and former minister KJ George, they said.
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Priyank Kharge, the son of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Roopa Shashidhar, the daughter of former Union minister K H Muniyappa, Karnataka Congress working president Eshwara Khandre, former minister Tanveer Sait, senior leader Krishna Byre Gowda and Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council B K Hariprasad are among the names considered, the sources said.
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar will take oath at 12.30 pm today at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. A few ministers are also likely to take oath though there was no official announcement.
The two leaders, who flew in from Bengaluru along with general secretary in-charge Randeep Surjewala, held a series of meetings on Friday in the national capital over cabinet formation.
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Siddaramaiah held a closed-door meeting with AICC general secretary K C Venugopal and also with Surjewala. Later D K Shivakumar joined them in the discussions over the probable names to be included in the new cabinet.
The deliberations over the cabinet continued till late at night as top central and state leaders sought to draw a balance between all sections, groups, communities and regions while accommodating all.
After hour-long deliberations on Friday, both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar along with Surejwala and Venugopal met Rahul Gandhi at 10, Janpath, where the leaders held talks for over an hour and a half.
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar also formally invited Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for the swearing-in ceremony.
Sources said the new cabinet would have representation from all regions of the state and sections including SCs, STs, OBCs, minorities, women, youth and Lingayats and Vokkaligas, the two prominent communities in the southern state, sources said. Shivakumar is a Vokkaliga.
(With PTI Inputs)
