New Delhi/Bengaluru, 17 Nov

Speculation over a cabinet reshuffle and possible leadership changes in Karnataka intensified on Monday as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar held separate meetings with senior Congress leaders in the national capital.

Siddaramaiah is expected to meet Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge later in the day, a meeting party leader have described as routine but which assumes significance amid talk of a “power-sharing” arrangement between him and Shivakumar when the government reaches its halfway mark this month.

Shivakumar, who met Kharge on Sunday, dismissed speculation about a leadership change, calling the meeting a standard organisational interaction. “We are all there if the party is there,” he told reporters, refusing to comment on reshuffle rumours. He added that he may join the CM’s meeting with the prime minister depending on prior family commitments.

Party insiders say a cabinet reshuffle, if approved by the Congress high command, would signal that Siddaramaiah will continue for a full term, dampening expectations of a mid-term change. Two cabinet berths remain vacant following the exit of B Nagendra and the removal of KN Rajanna.

The reshuffle chatter has prompted several Congress MLAs to publicly express ministerial aspirations. Hungund MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar requested a berth, citing his family’s 50-year association with the party. Hubballi-Dharwad East MLA Abbayya Prasad also claimed strong credentials, pointing to his electoral record and pressure from constituents, including Dalit community leaders.

Social Welfare Minister H C Mahadevappa said decisions rest with the AICC leadership and the chief minister, while Home Minister G Parameshwara said he was unaware of any “revolution” or imminent changes.

Shivakumar, who holds the Water Resources portfolio, said his department has prepared materials on irrigation issues for the CM’s meeting with the PM.