Karnataka Cabinet expansion: Why Siddaramaiah is upset despite calling the shots

The Karnataka Cabinet expansion on Monday (August 3) has once again highlighted that former chief minister Siddaramaiah remains the most influential leader in the state Congress despite handing over power to DK Shivakumar recently. Still, he seems to be upset.

Ten of the 19 newly inducted ministers are considered close to Siddaramaiah, while only about five belong to Chief Minister Shivakumar's camp. Another four ministers are believed to have been accommodated at the insistence of the Congress high command, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and the central leadership.

Siddaramaiah calls the shots

Despite emerging as the biggest winner in terms of Cabinet representation, Siddaramaiah, who celebrated his 79th birthday on Monday, is said to be unhappy with the final outcome.

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According to sources, he wanted at least four (more) of his loyalists to be accommodated in the ministry. Among those who missed out were senior leaders HC Mahadevappa, Basavaraj Neelappa Shivannanavar, Krishnappa, and Umashree, who was considered for the women's quota.

In the days leading up to the Cabinet expansion, Siddaramaiah made several trips to New Delhi to lobby before the Congress high command. Even on the day of the swearing-in, he remained at his official residence holding closed-door meetings with his supporters instead of attending the oath-taking ceremony at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru, barely a kilometre away. His absence immediately became the biggest talking point of the day.

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Close aides said Siddaramaiah was "shocked" when he realised that some of the names he had strongly recommended were missing from the final list after last-minute changes by the party high command. Though many of his supporters secured Cabinet berths, his decision to skip the ceremony was widely interpreted as a sign of dissatisfaction with the final decisions.

Shivakumar plays the long game

Unlike Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister Shivakumar appeared less focused on increasing the number of ministers from his own camp and more interested in strengthening the Congress politically across Karnataka.

He ensured a Cabinet berth for Laxman Savadi, the former BJP Lingayat leader whose induction is aimed at weakening the BJP in North Karnataka. He also backed KM Shivalingegowda, who crossed over from the JD(S) and helped the Congress expand in the Vokkaliga belt.

Among Shivakumar's trusted leaders, N Chaluvarayaswamy retained his Cabinet position, while HC Balakrishna was inducted as a first-time minister. Both were once close to JD(S) leader and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy but are now firmly aligned with Shivakumar.

It is believed that these appointments are part of Shivakumar's strategy to take on the JD(S) in the Old Mysuru region, especially in Mandya and Ramanagara. Chaluvarayaswamy and Balakrishna are expected to spearhead the Congress' political campaign against Kumaraswamy in the Vokkaliga heartland.

Last-minute twist exposes internal power struggle

The expansion itself witnessed last-minute drama after MLC Gayathri Shanthegowda's name was dropped just hours before the swearing-in, reducing the number of new ministers from 20 to 19. This unexpected decision created confusion and embarrassed Shivakumar, who was expected to showcase a united Congress government.

Her removal also meant that no new woman minister was inducted in the Cabinet. The episode revived criticism over the Congress' commitment to women's representation. The Cabinet now has 33 ministers, including the Chief Minister, with one berth still vacant.

New faces preferred over senior leaders

The Congress has given opportunities to several first-time ministers and younger leaders, including T Raghumoorthy, Balakrishna, KS Basavanthappa, Shivalingegowda, Dr. Ajay Singh, son of late former Chief Minister N Dharam Singh, and Rizwan Arshad.

However, several senior leaders such as HK Patil, Dinesh Gundu Rao, HC Mahadevappa, Shivanand Patil and RB Thimmapur missed out, raising the possibility of dissatisfaction within the party.

Social and caste balance

The Cabinet reflects the Congress' AHINDA (Minorities, Backward classes, and Dalits) political strategy by balancing representation among different communities.

The 33-member Karnataka Cabinet, including the Chief Minister, has 7 Lingayats, 6 Vokkaligas, 6 from OBC, 7 from Scheduled Caste (SC), 3 from Scheduled Tribe (ST), 3 Muslims, and 1 Christian, reflecting the Congress' effort to maintain caste and community balance. The party believes this combination maintains both caste and regional balance ahead of future elections.

Muslim representation and Nagendra's return

Congress has accommodated both Zameer Ahmed Khan and Arshad under the Muslim quota.

Another significant decision is the return of B Nagendra, who had earlier resigned over allegations linked to the Valmiki Corporation scam. His re-induction indicates that the party is prioritising electoral considerations in the Kalyana Karnataka region despite past controversies.

Meanwhile, Tanveer Sait, another senior Muslim leader, was again left out, triggering protests by his supporters in Mysuru.

Growing dissatisfaction within Congress

The Cabinet expansion has sparked protests from several Congress MLAs who failed to get ministerial positions.

Leaders including Yashavanthrayagouda Patil, Appaji Nadagouda and Belur Gopalakrishna have openly expressed disappointment. Some have even threatened to resign from party positions.

Gopalakrishna publicly alleged that Cabinet posts are increasingly going to members of influential political families, including sons of former chief ministers and children of former ministers, while loyal party workers are being ignored.

Supporters of Priya Krishna, Hampanagouda Badarli and several other aspirants have also expressed dissatisfaction.

Challenges ahead

The Cabinet expansion has broadly achieved caste and regional balance while accommodating leaders from different communities and regions. However, it has also exposed the continuing factional politics within the Karnataka Congress.

The last-minute removal of Shanthegowda has hurt the party's image on women's representation, leaving the expanded Cabinet with just one woman minister. At the same time, Siddaramaiah's supporters dominate the ministry numerically, underlining his continuing influence even after Shivakumar became Chief Minister. Yet Siddaramaiah's absence from the swearing-in ceremony suggests that even this accommodation has not fully satisfied his camp.

For Shivakumar, the expansion appears to have been less about rewarding loyalists and more about building a politically effective team capable of taking on the BJP in North Karnataka and the JD(S) in the Old Mysuru region.