Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah to take Karnataka cabinet formation talks to Delhi

DK Shivakumar with outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. | Photo credit: Sudhakara Jain

Amid hectic cabinet-making talks ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected Congress Legislature Party leader DK Shivakumar on Wednesday (June 3, 2026), All India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge said the cabinet-making would be done in phases.

Meanwhile, government formation talks are expected to shift to Delhi on Monday (June 1, 2026), with both Mr Shivakumar and outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expected to announce their decisions to the Congress central leadership.

Stating that government formation may not happen in one go, the Congress president told presspersons in Kalburagi that “The plan is to induct ministers gradually, now to complete one phase and then maybe take 15 days to a month before finalizing the next set of ministers. This is a thought process for now.”

He clarified that since no formal proposal has arrived from the Congress high command specifying whether 8 or 10 ministers will be sworn in initially, they are also waiting. Mr Kharge said it would be clear by Wednesday (June 3, 2026).

According to him, the central leadership has not yet officially received any proposal. “The decision on how many ministers to name, how many deputy ministers are needed, or whether the chairmen of key state corporations should be appointed at the same time will be decided after a specific proposal,” he clarified.

Meanwhile, Mr Shivakumar and Mr Siddaramaiah, according to multiple sources, will carry a list of their options for Cabinet berths during their visit to Delhi on Monday (June 1, 2026). The high command is also likely to intervene on behalf of some lawmakers to ensure finality of the list, sources said. “Though there is a lot of speculation about the size and composition of the cabinet or the deputy ministers or the KPCC president, nothing will be certain unless the central leadership approves,” sources said.

Mr Shivakumar also told reporters on Sunday (May 31) that the party high command would take a call on the cabinet formation.

A day after Mr. Shivakumar was unanimously elected leader of the Congress Legislature Party, his residence on Sunday (May 31) saw a steady stream of Congress legislators and leaders coming to wish the leader. Nearly a dozen ministers in outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s cabinet visited the Sadashivanagar residence, sources said, to wish him. “Not only did the legislators want him, but they also subtly indicated their interest in staying in his cabinet,” sources close to Mr. Shivakumar said.

Among the ministers in Siddaramaiah’s cabinet who met the CLP leader were Dinesh Gundurao, Madhu Bangarappa, HK Patil, Santhosh Lad and Mankal Vaidya and others.

Some senior leaders who did not form Siddaramaiah’s cabinet like B..R. Patil, Tanveer Sait and Vijayanand Kashappanavar also met Mr. Shivakumar, looking for an opportunity as the government has a little less than two years left.

The new CLP leader also visited the premises of the old Congress Bhavan on Race Course Road for an inspection ahead of the foundation stone laying ceremony for the new building on June 3, likely to be attended by Congress President Mallikarjun M. Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

Published – 31 May 2026 20:15 IST