Following the by-elections in the State, demands from ruling Congress MLAs for a Cabinet reshuffle to secure ministerial berths has gained momentum. Nearly 20 legislators are likely to travel to New Delhi on Sunday (April 12, 2025) to urge the party high command to allow Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to undertake a Cabinet rejig.

A senior MLA, who is part of the delegation, told The Hindu that they plan to stay in Delhi for two to three days and seek meetings with AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and AICC general secretaries K.C. Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala. They will also seek to meet opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, if he is in New Delhi, the legislator said.

“Our sole agenda is to urge the high command to permit a Cabinet reshuffle so that senior MLAs can be accommodated,” the legislator said.

After half-term

The demand for a Cabinet rejig has been gaining traction since the government crossed its mid-term mark in November last year. According to the MLA, the party leadership had earlier indicated that the issue would be considered after this milestone. Legislators have been urging the leadership to drop some long-serving ministers — who have held portfolios in successive Congress governments — to make way for others and infuse “fresh energy” into the administration.

The plan to approach the high command was initially discussed after the State Budget, but was delayed due to the by-elections, sources said. On March 12, around 30 MLAs met over dinner at a private club in Bengaluru to chalk out a strategy for pressing the demand.

The legislators are seeking the inclusion of experienced MLAs — those elected three to four times — with a proposal that at least 22 such members be accommodated in the reshuffle.

After polls to five states

However, the party high command is expected to take a decision on the matter only after the Assembly elections in five States, when it may also review the leadership situation in Karnataka.

Among those reportedly aspiring for Cabinet berths are Ashok Pattan, Belur Gopalakrishna, K.M. Shivalinge Gowda, H.C. Balakrishna, N.A. Haris, Srinivas Mane, Laxman Savadi, T. B. Jayachandra, Ganesh Hukkeri and Puttaranga Shetty, among others.