Aug 04, 2026 17:04 pm IST

Opinion | Inside The Cabinet Drama That Has Shook The Congress In Karnataka

Siddaramaiah's decision to 'boycott' the swearing-in ceremony because of a perceived 'insult' is a story in itself.

Ramakrishna Upadhya Ramakrishna Upadhya Columnist

Ramakrishna Upadhya Columnist

Even after getting a lion's share of the berths on offer for his supporters in the expanded DK Shivakumar Cabinet on Monday, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's decision to 'boycott' the swearing-in ceremony because of a perceived 'insult' over the appointment of a woman candidate not chosen by him, clearly indicates that the Congress government in Karnataka will have tumultuous days ahead of the state elections in May 2028.

Coming exactly two months after he took over as Chief Minister from a reluctant-to-leave Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar's attempt to stem the unrest among legislators and have a full-fledged Cabinet received an unexpected jolt hours before the swearing-in. Siddaramaiah's 'tantrums' over Gayathri Shathegowda, an MLC, being named in the Cabinet list not only delayed the ceremony by one hour, but her name being pulled out at the last minute also caused embarrassment to the party.

It appears that Siddaramaiah wanted Basavaraj Shivannavar from Bagalkot to join the Cabinet on the Kuruba 'quota', but the party high command instead chose Gayathri without consulting him. Not only this meant defying Siddaramaiah's 'prerogative' to name a person from his community, but he was also upset that Gayathri had been chosen ahead of his nominee,........

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