'Need of the hour': Cong faces fresh demand in Karnataka; first-time MLAs seek ministerial berths

NEW DELHI: A group of first-time Congress MLAs from Karnataka has written to senior party leaders — including Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi — seeking representation in the state Cabinet during the proposed reshuffle.In a joint representation addressed to the Congress high command and the state leadership — including chief minister Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister and state unit president DK Shivakumar — the legislators urged that at least five first-time MLAs be inducted as ministers.“We request you to ensure that at least five first-time MLAs are accommodated as ministers during the reshuffle,” the letter said. The legislators noted that 38 of the 135 Congress MLAs elected to the 224-member House in the 2023 assembly polls being first-time members was a “clear message” from the people, as they want to see “new young faces.”“As you are aware, the people have elected 38 Congress members to the assembly for the first time and thereby sent out a clear message that they want to see new young faces in the legislature,” the MLAs wrote.They further pointed out that when the 34-member ministry was constituted under Siddaramaiah, no debutant legislator was inducted into the Cabinet.“That being the case, it is justified that the first-timers are also accommodated. It is the need of the hour that young, dynamic, and proactive debutant MLAs are provided an opportunity to serve as ministers,” the letter stated.The signatories argued that appointing newcomers to ministerial positions would not be “unprecedented,” noting that in several states first-time MLAs had gone on to become chief ministers or ministers. A blend of youth and experience, they argued, would strike the “right balance” in governance and strengthen the party’s prospects in 2028.The letter comes amid an ongoing leadership tussle within the state Congress, with Shivakumar reiterating his claim to the top post, reportedly based on an understanding with the party high command after the 2023 victory. At the time, veteran leader Siddaramaiah was chosen to lead the government for his second term, while Shivakumar was made his deputy and reportedly assured the chief minister’s post for the latter half of the five-year tenure.The Karnataka Congress government completed its first two-and-a-half years in November 2025.(With PTI inputs)