Cabinet, state Cong may see changes after LS poll results

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: With just a week left for the Lok Sabha election results on June 4, political circles are buzzing with reports that there could be changes in Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s Cabinet after the results.

And if this does not happen, the expected reshuffle could in the offing after the conclusion of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections and other local body polls in the state.

There is also a possibility that there will be changes in the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) itself. Siddaramaiah had recently said that he was open to conducting the BBMP polls after the Lok Sabha election results.

There were reports doing the rounds in Congress circles that the party was not averse to replacing non-performing members and those who did not put in enough effort to ensure victories of Congress Lok Sabha candidates where they were given the district in-charge role.

Deputy CM and KPCC president DK Shivakumar himself had recently suggested at a party meeting that he would not remain Karnataka Congress chief forever.

It is to be noted that the five KPCC working presidents, campaign committee chairman and communications chairman were replaced in March in the lead up to the Lok Sabha polls which took place on April 26 and May 7 in two phases in the state.

The cabinet rejig if it happens, would also be driven by the fact that there is a scarcity of leaders from north Karnataka in the ministry at present.

There is a distinct possibility that the Congress might win more Lok Sabha seats this time in north Karnataka where the BJP earlier held sway.

This is especially true of the Kittur-Karnataka region where the Congress had breached the saffron stronghold in the May 2023 Assembly election with a chunk of Lingayats casting their ballots for the Grand Old Party.

If the Congress ends up bagging more Lok Sabha seats in north Karnataka, leaders from the region might demand better representation in the Cabinet.

Currently, the ruling party is dominated by leaders from the Old Mysuru region. Siddaramaiah is from Mysuru district while Shivakumar is from Ramanagara district.

CM takes jibe at PM over 'God sent' view

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his reported 'God sent' comment and wondered whether he was the divine incarnation.

He also asserted that claims of turning this country that is so diverse, into a 'Hindu Rashtra' was not possible. The CM was speaking at an event to commemorate first PM Jawaharlal Nehru's death anniversary.

"Narendra Modi now says he was sent by god. Look at the irony. He says --god has sent me to make Viksit Bharat by 2047. Is he the incarnation of god?," Siddaramaiah asked.