Internal strains within the state Congress have deepened after dozens of newly elected legislators formally asked the party’s central and state leadership to induct them into the council of ministers.
In a letter sent to party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, chief minister Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, 38 legislators serving their first term said they had not been given any place in the 34 member council formed after the party’s 2023 election victory.
The legislators said their electoral success reflected voter support for a generational shift within the party. They wrote that their election was “a clear mandate from the people for emergence of new and young leadership,” and said their absence from ministerial positions did not align with that outcome. “That being the case, it is justified that first time MLAs are also accommodated in the cabinet,” the letter said.
The group called for at least five first time legislators to be given ministerial responsibility in the expected reshuffle, arguing that such a move would improve the government’s functioning. “It is the need of the hour that young, dynamic, and proactive first time MLAs are provided an opportunity to serve as ministers… We, the undersigned members of the Legislative Assembly, earnestly request you to ensure at least five first time MLAs are accommodated in the cabinet.”
They said combining experienced leaders with newer members would strengthen administration and help the party maintain its support base ahead of the next Assembly election in 2028.
Responding to possible concerns about inexperience, the legislators pointed out that other states had given important posts to first time lawmakers. They said such appointments were not unusual in Indian politics and had included ministerial and chief ministerial roles.
Among those who signed the letter were A S Ponnanna, Bhimasena Chimmanakatty, Pradeep Eshwar, Iqbal Hussain, N T Sreenivasa, Ashok Kumar Rai, N Sreenivasa, Darshan Dhruvanarayan, Sivaganga Basavaraju, Vishwas Vaidya, Nara Bharat Reddy, Prakash Koliwada, K S Ananda, Manthar Gowda, Channareddy Patil and Devendrappa, along with D Ravishankar, Nayana Motamma, Rajavenugopala Nayak, Mahendra Thammannavar, A C Srinivasa, Ashok Managooli, P Ravikumar and Babasaheb Patil, among others.
The legislators said giving responsibility to newer members would reinforce the party’s organisational strength and align its government with the expectations of voters who had supported them in the last election.
The appeal comes as the Congress leadership continues to deal with tensions between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, who had competing claims to lead the government after the party returned to power in 2023. The disagreement escalated late last year, prompting intervention from the party leadership, which asked both leaders to refrain from public confrontation while discussions continued.
