Will sons of Kharge, Sidda be included in Shivakumar's Cabinet?

Shivakumar is set to lead a new, smaller Karnataka Cabinet with key leaders and fresh faces, as Congress leaders deliberate on the formation and potential deputy chief ministers.

The new Cabinet in Karnataka led by chief minister-designate D K Shivakumar is likely to be a small one with 10-14 ministers including some young faces, sources said on Tuesday.

The top Congress leadership on Tuesday held day-long deliberations with outgoing chief minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar on giving final shape to the new cabinet in the state.

Siddaramaiah's son Yathindra and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's son Priyank Kharge are likely to find a place in the new cabinet, the sources said.

Deputy CM debate

While the party is toying with the idea of having two deputy chief ministers, a section within the party feels no deputy chief minister should be sworn in on Wednesday as there are many contenders and a balancing act among various castes may not be possible with only two deputy chief ministers.

G Parameshwara and Priyanka Kharge are top contenders for the deputy chief minister's post, both being from the Dalit community.

The sources said that Shivakumar is not keen to have a deputy chief minister for now, as he has expressed his reservation on having another power centre in the state.

Swearing-in ceremony details

Shivakumar will take oath at 4.05 pm Wednesday along with a small cabinet initially and expand it later, the sources added.

Former party chief Rahul Gandhi will be present at the swearing-in along with Mallikarjun Kharge. Congress chief ministers from Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana would also attend the swearing-in, along with chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand. Some other senior opposition leaders are also likely to attend.

Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan has already reached Bengaluru, while other Congress chief ministers would reach on Wednesday.

Key contenders for cabinet berths

Among some of the frontrunners for a cabinet berth include Krishna Byregowda and Dinesh Gundu Rao, besides Muslim face U T Khader, who is currently the Speaker of the state assembly. Besides a woman minister is also likely to be included in the ministry.

During the day, Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah met Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Gandhi and held talks on the new cabinet formation. Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal and AICC general secretary-in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala were also present.

Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Congress president, was officially elected leader of the Congress Legislature Party in Karnataka on May 30.

Earlier in the day, Shivakumar expressed gratitude to the Gandhi family for their role in his political journey and thanked them for the faith they had placed in him at different stages of his life.

Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah arrived in the national capital on Monday to hold consultations with the Congress high command over the composition of the new state cabinet.

Balancing act in cabinet formation

With Karnataka's council of ministers capped at 34 -- including the chief minister -- and a swelling pool of aspirants vying for limited berths, Shivakumar faces one of his first and most consequential tests as chief minister-designate.

Aspirants had reached the national capital in numbers, with former ministers and legislators seeking audiences with both Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah to press their claims.

Party sources indicate the new cabinet is likely to be a blend of familiar faces and fresh entrants, with careful attention paid to caste arithmetic, regional balance and loyalty equations -- particularly towards the Siddaramaiah camp.

Sources add that Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar and Kharge camps are pushing for their confidantes for a berth in the new cabinet.

After meeting Shivakumar on Sunday, he had expressed confidence about a cabinet berth, saying the party high command has already assured him of a ministerial position.

The sources said the top Congress leaders are still pressing Siddaramaiah to take up a Rajya Sabha seat, even though the former chief minister has expressed his desire to remain active in the state and not take up a role in national politics.

The sources added that party leadership is also contemplating forming a joint coordination committee led by Siddaramaiah to ensure better and effective coordination between the party and the government in Karnataka.

The Delhi parleys were also expected to address the question of who succeeds Shivakumar as Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president.

Senior MLA and former minister Satish Jarkiholi is said to be the frontrunner -- though he is reportedly seeking a cabinet berth along with the organisational post, complicating the arithmetic further.