- G Parameshwara will be appointed deputy chief minister of Karnataka under DK Shivakumar
- Parameshwara is a prominent Dalit leader and former state home minister
- Congress leaders met to finalise ministerial picks and new state party chief
Former Karnataka Congress chief G Parameshwara will be appointed deputy chief minister, in a decision that ends the speculation over how many deputies Chief Minister-designate DK Shivakumar would have, sources said. Parameshwara, who also served as state home minister, is an influential and prominent Dalit leader.
Parameshwara wants to be the only deputy to Shivakumar, though others are still trying to push for more than one deputy chief minister, they said.
Shivakumar's oath-taking is scheduled tomorrow. Today's discussions within the Congress that zeroed in on Parameshwara also covered the topic of minister selection for the new cabinet.
The meeting took a long time as the Congress also looked into finding a new state chief for the party, and names for the Rajya Sabha and legislative council seats, sources said, adding that it is taking time to come to a consensus because of these reasons.
At least 12 ministers are likely to take oath along with Shivakumar tomorrow. The final approval on the names of ministers will be given by the Congress leadership in Delhi.
Another meeting is expected to be held at Congress national chief Mallikarjun Kharge's house. Senior leaders including KC Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala will also attend.
Both Shivakumar and former chief minister Siddaramaiah came to Delhi yesterday to hold consultations with the Congress high command over the composition of the new state cabinet. 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.
Shivakumar earlier today expressed gratitude to the Gandhis for their role in his political journey and thanked them for the faith they had placed in him at different stages of his life. "The Gandhi family has played a defining role in my political journey, not merely through leadership, but through the faith they placed in me at different stages of my life," Shivakumar posted on X.
"I often reflect on Rajiv Gandhi, who saw potential in a young worker even before I could see it in myself. His encouragement gave me the confidence to dream bigger and dedicate myself to public service," he said. "The greatest leaders are those who identify possibilities in others and inspire them to rise beyond their own expectations. Rajiv Gandhi did exactly that for me."
The change in guard in the Congress government in Karnataka is taking place after it has completed three years. There had been repeated speculation for some time about a leadership change in the state and Shivakumar's elevation from his role as deputy chief minister.
