After Transfer Of Power, Hectic Consultations On In Congress To Unveil New Karnataka Team

New Delhi: The Congress on Friday conducted hectic consultations over potential cabinet members, MLCs, and Rajya Sabha nominees, a day after ensuring a successful transfer of power in Karnataka.

The pending leadership issue between outgoing chief minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar has been settled, but the major challenge for the high command is now to strike a balance between the three influential groups belonging to the camps of ex-chief minister, the CM designate, and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who belongs to Karnataka, the party insiders said.

Siddaramaiah, along with his MLC son Yathindra, met Kharge in Delhi on Friday and later met the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. Congress chief’s son Priyank Kharge was also present on the occasion. Separately, Shivakumar also met Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and AICC in charge of organisation K C Venugopal separately. Besides these high-profile meetings, several other meetings related to the Karnataka developments also took place at the AICC, the insiders said.

Supporters of Congress leader Siddaramaiah gather outside the latter's residence as he resigned from the post of Karnataka Chief Minister, in Bengaluru, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (PTI)

The insiders further said that given the high regard the high command has for Siddaramaiah, a popular leader in his own right, the leadership has to consider the request that his cabinet colleagues should not be disturbed in the change of guard.

That may have been okay in a normal situation, but the change of guard comes at a crucial time when the high command is planning to restructure the Karnataka government as well as the state unit to prepare for the 2028 assembly elections.

The new chief minister will have only two years to perform and may feel the need to choose a bulk of his own cabinet. In this backdrop, addressing the concerns of Siddaramaiah might be difficult as some ministers will have to make way for the younger faces to be inducted. Some time ago, several MLAs had camped in Delhi and had urged Kharge to reshuffle the state cabinet to accommodate the deserving lawmakers who had been waiting since 2023, when the Congress came to power in Karnataka. Many of those MLAs are now back in Delhi to push their luck.

Also, the new chief minister may need the assistance of a few capable and younger leaders as his deputy to run an efficient administration. While Shivakumar was the sole deputy chief minister since 2023, there may be a need to have more than one deputy chief minister now, the insiders said.

Caste and Cabinet

Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga leader, was the deputy to an OBC leader Siddaramaiah as chief minister. Now with a Vokkaliga as chief minister, his deputies would have to come from the Lingayat, Dalit and minority communities. Party insiders said there are already several claimants for the deputy chief minister’s post, including Priyank Kharge, besides veterans like G Parameshwara, MB Patil, KC George and Zamir Ahmed.

Further, with Shivakumar (also the state unit chief) installed as chief minister, the high command may need to balance the power structure between the government and the party and name either a Lingayat, Dalit or OBC as the new state unit chief. Party insiders said the names of Dalit leader Satish Jarkiholi, a close aide of Siddaramaiah and Lingayat leaders MB Patil and Eshwara Khandre were doing the rounds for the post.

"We recently had a new government in Kerala, which was a mix of young and experienced leaders. Consultations are going on in Delhi. I am sure the high command will finalise a good team in Karnataka as well. The Congress Legislature party is meeting on Saturday to elect a new leader in Karnataka. The new cabinet will also be announced over the coming days. Just wait for a while," AICC functionary and former MLA Anjali Nimbalkar told ETV Bharat.

Besides the new cabinet, the party is also discussing the names of probable MLC candidates. The governor has to nominate five MLCs, while the Congress is hopeful of winning 5 of 7 MLC seats for which elections will be held. Also, the Congress will get three Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka for which polls are to be held on June 18. While Kharge is sure to get one seat, the party has to decide names for the two seats which are being sought after by many leaders.

"At the moment, cabinet formation is the main focus. The other decisions will also follow. We are confident of winning 5 MLC seats out of 7. The new government and the new state team will set the tone for the 2028 assembly elections. The party is implementing the change in a very smooth and professional manner. All the issues will be resolved soon," AICC functionary Suraj Hegde told ETV Bharat.

Siddaramaiah assumed his second term in 2023 and resigned on May 28, 2026, paving the way for his deputy D K Shivakumar, who missed the chance despite leading the Congress to a historic 135/224 seats victory against the BJP.

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