Overview
- The Governor has invited D.K. Shivakumar to form the government and he is scheduled to be sworn in as chief minister on Wednesday, with a limited set of ministers expected to take oath alongside him.
- Shivakumar and outgoing CM Siddaramaiah held repeated consultations in New Delhi with Congress leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi as the party seeks a consensual ministerial list.
- Party officials say no formal proposal on cabinet size or deputy chief minister posts has been approved yet and central leaders are weighing a first phase of roughly 10–15 ministers.
- The Congress plans a phased expansion after the Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council polls on June 18 and has capped the initial team to leave room for later accommodation because the state ministry cannot exceed 34 members.
- Siddaramaiah has been named to the Congress Working Committee as part of internal accommodation while intense lobbying, local demonstrations and demands for deputy CM berths signal a risk of factional dissatisfaction that the leadership must contain.