Inside Track: What Rahul Gandhi Wants New DK Shivakumar Government To Look Like

As Karnataka gets set for a change of guard with the Congress high command's decision to hand over the reins of the state to DK Shivakumar, the party's leadership has got down to the brass tacks.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has issued key directives on the contours of the new government under Shivakumar. Sources have told NDTV that Gandhi wants greater representation for Dalits, OBCs and minorities in the new Cabinet. This is key for Rahul Gandhi's social justice plank as the Congress has been forced to remove its only OBC chief minister in Siddaramaiah in the wake of sustained demand for change from the DK Shivakumar camp.

Sources further added that Rahul Gandhi is also keen on inducting younger faces into the Cabinet. This is seen as important to signal a change and attract more youth in the run up to the elections that will be held in 2028.

The high command, sources said, wants Karnataka government to take a cue from the model followed by Kerala, where younger leaders with backgrounds in the Youth Congress were given ministerial responsibilities.

The new DK Shivakumar government is likely to have fresh faces as the party is likely to drop 25 of the 35 sitting ministers, who will be reassigned organisational work.

Another proposal, which could prove to be contentious, is to have two deputy chief ministers under DK Shivakumar. One of them, according to the sources, could go to a Dalit leader. It is interesting to note that sitting home minister G Parameshwara, who is a Dalit, had made his own chief ministerial ambitions known amid the Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar tussle. Karnataka has not seen a Dalit chief minister till now, and by making a Dalit deputy chief minister Congress would want to send a message of inclusion and representation to the community.

It will also be a signal to keep the Siddaramaiah's AHINDA votebank, which is an amalgamation of Dalits, Backward Classes and minorities who are seen as the supporters of the sitting chief minister.

But the proposal to have two deputy chief ministers could be a point of contention for the DK Shivakumar camp, that as per sources, is keen only on having one. The Siddaramaiah camp, on the other hand, is pushing for multiple deputy chief ministers, sources have told NDTV.

Overall, Rahul's Gandhi message to the party is that the new cabinet should be politically balanced and not be seen as favouring any particular camp.

After months of tussle, the Congress has finally managed to solve the Karnataka leadership change question. After marathons meetings in Delhi on Tuesday, the Congress, according to the sources, managed to convince Siddaramaiah to step down and make way for DK Shivakumar. Siddaramaiah is likely to enter Rajya Sabha in the upcoming June 18 election to the Upper House.