With the NDA government conceding to the demand of the Congress and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) by accepting Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, the Congress high command is expected to resume discussions on the long-pending Karnataka Cabinet expansion next week.

Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s announcement in Chitradurga on Saturday that the Cabinet expansion would take place next week indicates that the State leadership is likely to meet the party’s Central leadership in New Delhi over the next few days to finalise the exercise.

Drought review

Speaking in Chitradurga, the Chief Minister said, “All Ministers need to work together and keep watch on the overall drought situation in Karnataka. We have a responsibility to ensure that farmers’ interests are protected.”

Mr. Shivakumar undertook a field visit, accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara and others, to review the drought situation in Chitradurga. He visited the farmlands in Yaraballi, Talavatti, and Vaddikere villages and assessed the ground reality. Visiting the fields where the crops, including sunflowers, have dried up, the Chief Minister interacted with the farmers.

Discussions held

Earlier in the day, Mr. Shivakumar, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and KPCC president B.K. Hariprasad reportedly held discussions with AICC general secretaries K.C. Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala at the party headquarters on the proposed expansion and the number of legislators to be inducted into the Ministry. The two general secretaries were in Bengaluru to oversee the process of appointing District Congress Committee presidents.

The proposed meeting with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge earlier in the week was deferred as the party leadership was preoccupied with nationwide protests demanding Mr. Pradhan’s resignation over the NEET paper leak controversy. With Mr. Pradhan stepping down, Congress leaders are hopeful that the discussions on the Cabinet expansion will gather momentum ahead of the monsoon session of the Karnataka Legislature, scheduled to commence on August 6.

Several Congress legislators who had travelled to New Delhi with the hope of securing ministerial berths returned to Bengaluru last week after the party leadership prioritised the protest programme over consultations on the Cabinet expansion.

Political restructuring

Apart from the induction of new Ministers, the discussions are also expected to touch upon a broader political restructuring within the State government. Some party leaders have renewed their demand for the appointment of additional Deputy Chief Ministers, although there has been no official confirmation from the Congress high command on the proposal.

Published - July 25, 2026 07:32 pm IST