Bengaluru, Jun 2: Despite winning just 37 seats, constant protestations that he’s chief minister due to Rahul Gandhi’s benevolence and of him being beholden to the Congress and not to the people of Karnataka, HD Kumaraswamy has emerged from a protracted cabinet-formation exercise with a clear upper hand.
The JD(S) has walked away with plum portfolios — finance, energy, excise and public works — leaving many Congress leaders, including DK Shivakumar who had set his eyes on the energy ministry, baffled and upset.
After four days of parleys, Congress and JD(S) hammered out the final split on Friday: The Congress gets 22 portfolios, including home, industries, revenue and Bengaluru development, and the JD(S) 12.
“Both parties have agreed to the portfolio-sharing formula. There are no differences,” AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka, KC Venugopal, said at a press conference attended by the chief minister, his deputy G Parameshwara, senior Congress leaders Siddaramaiah, Mallikarjun M Kharge and Shivakumar.
Ministers set to take oath on June 6
The ministers, who are yet to be picked, will take oath at 2pm on June 6. The parties were keen on a Sunday swearingin, but the event had to be postponed as governor Vajubhai R Vala is in New Delhi for four days from Saturday to attend a conclave of the governors.
Admitting that there was a tussle over the finance portfolio, Venugopal said the Congress decided to concede it to the JD(S) following AICC president Rahul Gandhi’s intervention.
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“Rahul wants the coalition to succeed in the larger interest of the country. Based on his advice, we’ve agreed to give the finance portfolio to the JD(S),” he added.
The decision to hand energy and public works department ministries to the JD(S) has not gone down well with many Congress leaders, especially Shivakumar who held the portfolio in the previous government. Shivakumar had skipped the talks held in the morning.
The parties have framed a formula to ensure smooth functioning of the coalition government: Form a coordination committee led by former CM Siddaramaiah; evolve a common agenda based on both parties’ manifestos; appoint one spokesperson from each party to brief media; Congress and JD(S) to share posts of chairpersons of boards and corporations on a 2:1 ratio.
The coordination committee will also include Kumaraswamy, KC Venugopal, G Parameshwara and JD(S) secretary general K Danish Ali. The panel will meet once a month.
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