The Karnatala cabinet expansion has been postponed to July following intense lobbying by community leaders and the Congress high command’s directive to chief minister D.K. Shivakumar not to “buckle under pressure”.

The cabinet, which currently has 14 members against the maximum strength of 34, was scheduled for expansion after the June 18 Legislative Council elections.

Vokkaligas, Lingayats, Dalits, Christians and Muslims have since June 19 stepped up pressure on Shivakumar for the remaining 20 cabinet berths.

A delegation led by the All Karnataka Sunni Mashaik Council met the chief minister on Monday and requested a cabinet berth for MLC Saleem Ahmed. Shivakumar told them that the decision rested with the Congress high command.

A Congress source in Karnataka told The Telegraph that AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, had called up Shivakumar and urged him not to buckle under pressure from the lobbyists.

“There is also confusion on whether the chief minister should include one or two MLCs more in the cabinet, as currently the lone MLC is Dr Yatheendra Siddaramaiah (urban development minister), son of former chief minister Siddaramaiah,” the Congress source said.

The 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly has 135 Congress MLAs, while
the 75-member Karnataka Legislative Council has 39 party MLCs.