Bengaluru: Karnataka CM-elect HD Kumaraswamy would reach Delhi on Monday to meet Congress leaders Rahul and Sonia Gandhi and finalise modalities of cabinet and ministerial berth sharing.
While Congress — which has the lion’s share of MLAs in the post-poll alliance with JD(S) — will be lobbying for a significant number of ministries citing reasons that it has sacrificed the top job for Kumaraswamy, JD(S) too is not keen on going for a hard bargain to grab more than 15 berths with 37 MLAs.
"Tomorrow (Sunday) I will be going to Delhi, where I will meet Sonia ji and Rahul ji. We will decide about cabinet expansion and will discuss everything with them on how to give a stable government for the next five years," Kumaraswamy said in Bengaluru on Sunday, three days ahead of his swearing-in on May 23.
He also rejected rumours and clarified that neither a power-sharing formula between both parties had been reached for 30 months, nor have they decided on "rotational chief ministers".
From JD(S)’ side, seniors such as Deve Gowda, HD Revanna and GT Deve Gowda are expected to crack the deal with Congress leaders Siddaramaiah, G Parameshwara, DK Shivakumar and KJ George.
According to sources, Congress has asked Deve Gowda’s JD(S) to accommodate the BSP MLAs and Independents in its share of ministries as Congress will have to consider several other heavyweights, regions, caste and other factors in distributing portfolios in the coalition arrangement.
Congress leaders from Karnataka will also leave for Delhi on Monday to discuss with the high command, the modalities related to government formation in the state.
"Our CLP leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, myself and senior leader D K Shivakumar will leave for Delhi tomorrow and hold talks with Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi about modalities of government formation," state Congress President G Parameshwara told reporters here.
Siddaramaiah, Parameshwara and other senior Congress leaders on Sunday met party MLAs camped at a city hotel and reportedly discussed the way ahead for the party in the process of government formation.
Clinching victory from the jaws of defeat after Karnataka gave a fractured mandate, the alliance is not looking at a lavish swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday and sources say it could very well end with the oath-taking of just the chief minister and the deputy chief minister. The parties are clearly trying to avoid any disgruntlement at the time of the trust vote and also prevent loose talks among those eyeing the ministries.
Among the other details of the new government that are likely to be finalised at the Monday meeting, the regional representation of MLAs in the government would be one. While Old-Mysuru and Bengaluru regions are expected to get the lion’s share, the Mumbai-Karnataka, coastal regions and Hyderabad-Karnataka regions would also be considered for representation.
HD Kumaraswamy is most likely to take office at 1.30pm on Wednesday, as prescribed by his family astrologers.
BS Yeddyurappa, who was sworn in as the Karnataka CM on Thursday, stepped down on Saturday without facing the floor test in the state assembly as the BJP fell short of numbers. Soon, Kumaraswamy met Governor Vajubhai Vala and staked claim to form the government in alliance with Congress, who has offered “unconditional support” to the JD(S) along with the chief minister’s post.
The May 12 Karnataka assembly polls threw up a hung assembly, with the BJP emerging as the single largest party with 104 seats. The Congress was next with 78 and the JD(S) followed with 37.
Kumaraswamy on Sunday asserted that within 24 hours of taking oath, he would prove the majority on the floor of the House.
"Mostly on Wednesday there will be an oath-taking ceremony after that on Thursday we will complete the process of Speaker's election and trust vote," he added.
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