Rumours of his appointment at this stage being Chief Minister -designate and DK Shivakumar possibly making him Deputy Chief Minister have been eclipsed and instead, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, known for his rambling rants, is likely to be inducted in the cabinet of the former Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar with no Deputy Chief Minister’s tag along. The initiative coincides with the Congress leadership completing its discussions on building the cabinet and assigning the important portfolios before the swearing-in ceremony.
Earlier, the son of outgoing Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Yathindra, had brushed aside reports that suggested a tie-up between him and Deputy Chief Minister Kirankumar reddy for the Deputy CM post. He said he didn’t aim for a particular designation, but that his first considerations were in the service of the government and helping to advance their policy goals.
In his turn about the issue, Yathindra said that the then senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had promised him that his interests will be looked after and he will be in the cabinet. He was confident that he will be joining the government and will be content whatever portfolios he are given.
The deliberations over forming the cabinet became intense after both DK Shivakumar and K Siddaramaiah went to New Delhi to discuss the issue with the Congress high command. The meetings were principally on the appointments of the ministers, the division of portfolios and the overall governance of the new administration.
Yathindra’s selection for the cabinet is being termed as a gesture that adheres to the rule of ‘partnership’ in politics and shows how Yathindra is playing an ever-increasing role in the Congress in Karnataka. The deputy Chief Minister is now expected to be posted elsewhere, and there is now a focus on what department he’ll be sworn in as the new government is established.