Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar is racing against time to finalise portfolio allocations for the 19 ministers inducted into the Cabinet on 3 August, even as intense lobbying within the Indian National Congress (Congress) threatens to deepen a simmering rebellion ahead of the Assembly Monsoon session beginning 13 August. With allocations expected by Friday evening, the political temperature in Bengaluru has sharply risen.

Key Departments in Demand

The most sought-after portfolios are reportedly Finance, Labour, Social Welfare, Planning, and Higher Education. Senior Congress leader and newly inducted minister Basavaraja Rayareddi, a former Finance Adviser to the Chief Minister, has openly staked his claim to the Finance Department.

'I have worked as the Chief Minister's Finance Adviser. The party would have assessed everyone's strengths. If the Finance portfolio is given to me, I will appreciate it. I am interested only in tax collection. Let the Chief Minister prepare and present the Budget. I do not even want transfer powers. The Chief Minister can retain the authority to transfer everyone from a peon to an IAS officer,' Rayareddi told reporters. He added that he is also interested in the Planning Department and committed to implementing the Govindarao Committee report.

Competing Claims and Caste Equations

Newly sworn-in ministers P. Narendraswamy and Shivaraj Tangadgi, both from oppressed communities, are understood to be vying for the Social Welfare Department. Meanwhile, seven-term Member of Parliament and Food and Civil Supplies Minister K.H. Muniyappa has publicly stated his dissatisfaction with his current portfolio and is pushing for a more significant assignment.

Party sources indicate that ministers K.S. Basavanthappa and S.S. Mallikarjun, both from Davanagere district, have remained in Bengaluru to pursue discussions with the leadership — defying Chief Minister Shivakumar's directive to ministers to visit their districts and assess the ongoing drought situation.

Legislator Discontent Deepens

The portfolio exercise is unfolding against a backdrop of growing resentment among legislators denied Cabinet berths in the recent expansion. Seven-term MLA T.B. Jayachandra, who publicly called the new Cabinet's composition 'a matter of shame,' has threatened to write to the Assembly for seating arrangements alongside the Opposition — a stark signal of his alienation.

The Congress leadership is also closely watching a dinner meeting planned by dissatisfied and rebel MLAs in Bengaluru on 13 August, coinciding with the opening day of the Assembly session. According to party sources, nearly 40 MLAs are expected to attend — a gathering that could prove politically embarrassing for the government if internal differences remain unresolved.

Shivakumar's Damage-Control Push

Chief Minister Shivakumar, along with senior party leaders, is expected to meet former minister M.C. Sudhakar as part of efforts to pacify disgruntled leaders. He is also scheduled to visit the residence of T.B. Jayachandra to personally address grievances. The Congress leadership faces the dual challenge of balancing regional, caste, and political equations while preventing simmering dissatisfaction from boiling over during the Assembly session.

How Shivakumar manages the portfolio distribution — and the rebel MLA meeting — will set the tone for the Congress government's stability in the weeks ahead.