Karnataka CM-designate Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah hold high-level meet with Kharge, Rahul over Cabinet plan

NEW DELHI: The Congress high command on Tuesday held a crucial meeting with Karnataka CM-designate DK Shivakumar and caretaker chief minister Siddaramaiah to finalise the composition of the new state Cabinet ahead of the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for Wednesday.Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi chaired the meeting, which focused on finalising the Cabinet lineup, and nominations for upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, ANI reported.The meeting comes at a decisive stage as the party works to finalise the structure of the new Karnataka government, including ministerial berths and organisational responsibilities within the state unit.Senior leaders from Karnataka, including KC Venugopal and others also took part in deliberations held at Kharge's residence at 10 Rajaji Marg in New Delhi.The discussions follow Siddaramaiah's resignation as chief minister, which formally set in motion the leadership transition and cleared the way for DK Shivakumar to take charge of the state government.The meeting also comes after the Congress high command held a late-night discussions in New Delhi on Sunday to finalise the composition of the new Karnataka cabinet.The Cabinet list is nearly ready, a senior party functionary earlier told TOI on Sunday. "While 10 names have been finalised, another 10 are being discussed for oath-taking in the first round. The final list may be out Wednesday," he added.The issue of deputy chief minister posts has emerged as a key point of discussion within the party. Siddaramaiah is said to be pitching names such as G Parameshwara, B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, K J George and M B Patil for inclusion in the Cabinet and possible DCM roles.However, Shivakumar is reportedly opposed to multiple deputy chief minister posts, arguing that it could create parallel power centres and lead to political complications.The high command is also considering the inclusion of Siddaramaiah's son Yathindra in the new Cabinet.Senior Congress leaders from Karnataka have been camping in Delhi for multiple rounds of consultations with the party leadership.Earlier meetings included Siddaramaiah’s interaction with leaders at Delhi hotels and breakfast discussions at ‘Saravana Bhavan’, where several MLAs, including Satish Jarkiholi and MC Sudhakar, were present.Shivakumar is scheduled to take oath as Karnataka chief minister at the Glass House in Lok Bhavan, Bengaluru at 4 pm on Wednesday.