Karnataka Chief Minister may have another political challenge on his hands, days after resolving a cabinet portfolio dispute involving senior Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy.
Sources told Times Now that senior minister Krishna Byre Gowda has not yet assumed charge of the Greater Development portfolio allocated to him, as key urban development bodies, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA), continue to remain under the Chief Minister’s control.
According to sources, Byre Gowda has reservations about taking charge of the department without clarity on the functioning and oversight of these crucial agencies. He is expected to meet Shivakumar to discuss the issue.
Portfoli crisis after another for Shivakumar
The development comes shortly after the Congress government navigated its first major internal crisis when senior leader Ramalinga Reddy tendered his resignation over dissatisfaction with portfolio allocation.
After days of intense negotiations, Shivakumar announced early on Saturday that the issue had been resolved following marathon discussions with Reddy. The Chief Minister held a nearly two-and-a-half-hour meeting with the veteran Congress leader at a private hotel in Bengaluru’s Jayanagar area late on Friday night, as party leaders worked to persuade him to withdraw his resignation.
Notably, senior minister KH Muniyappa had also publicly expressed dissatisfaction over portfolio allocation.
“The portfolio is not good. Seniority is not maintained. Me and Ramalinga Reddy have won eight times. We should have been treated equally,” Muniyappa said, while also appealing to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to ensure that senior leaders receive due consideration.
He currently represents the Devanahalli Assembly constituency and has retained the Food and Civil Supplies portfolio in the new government.
While several ministers retained their previous departments, the allocation process reportedly witnessed intense negotiations and last-minute discussions amid competing claims from senior leaders.