Bengaluru: The countdown has begun for the much-awaited Karnataka Cabinet expansion, with the swearing-in ceremony of new ministers likely to be held on Monday at 4 p.m. at Lok Bhavan. Government and Congress leaders have reportedly completed preparations, while around 20 legislators are expected to be inducted into the ministry.
According to party sources, the Congress high command is likely to approve the final list on Sunday evening or Monday morning. AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal is expected to arrive in Bengaluru with the approved list before the official announcement.
Names doing the rounds for possible ministerial berths include Ajay Dharmasingh, Yashwantrayagouda Patil, T. Raghumurthy, B. Nagendra, Shivraj Tangadagi, Salim Ahmed, N.S. Bosaraju, N. Chaluvarayaswamy, Shivalingegowda, Basavaraj Shivannanavar, Lakshman Savadi, Santosh Lad, S.S. Mallikarjun, Vijayananda Kasappanavar, P.M. Narendraswamy, Puttaranga Shetty, A.S. Ponnanna, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Dr. Aarthi Krishna, Annapurna E. Tukaram, Kaneez Fatima, Basavanthappa, Sharath Bachegowda, Tanveer Sait and Anekal Shivanna.
However, the Congress leadership has not made any official announcement on the final list. All names currently under discussion remain speculative, while ministerial aspirants continue lobbying until the last moment.