Tussle for plum portfolios begins among ministers before second round of Cabinet expansion

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Bengaluru: A race for portfolios seems to have begun in the ruling Congress Party with the new ministers putting pressure on new Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for attractive portfolios.  Deputy Chief Minister D.K.Shivakumar has reportedly set his eyes on three major portfolios - Water Resources, Bengaluru Development, and Energy, and is likely to get two among them for sacrificing the chief minister’s post at least for the next two and a half years.

Other attractive portfolios include Revenue, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj, Public Works Department, Housing, Transport, Large & Medium Scale Industries, Women and Child Welfare, Excise, Energy, Urban Development, and Finance and senior ministers are trying their best to get them. T

he once sought after Home portfolio now has no takers due to the responsibilities which come attached with it. In the previous government, then Home Minister Araga Jnanendra was taken to task several times by the Opposition parties due to major incidents like a gangrape in Mysuru, communal clashes in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi district, the Police Sub-Inspector recruitment scam, and other issues. Though eight ministers were sworn-in last week, none of them have been allotted portfolios as the high command wants to induct another 20 MLAs as ministers before the end of this month.

But the biggest problem is the number of aspirants. Sources say that of the total 135 newly-elected MLAs, more than 80 percent want to become ministers, that too with good portfolios. But the high command has to take into consideration factors like caste, religion, region and seniority before inducting them into the Cabinet.

Bengaluru City Development & Finance As usual, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is likely to keep the finance and Bengaluru City Development portfolios with him. There is however a demand to allot the Bengaluru Development portfolio to another person because the CM cannot focus on the development of Bengaluru fully due to his preoccupation with other work.