BENGALURU: The expansion of chief minister DK Shivakumar’s council of ministers reveals Congress’ twin objectives — initiating a gradual generational transition while largely retaining the political and organisational imprint of former CM Siddaramaiah.While the exercise is in line with Rahul Gandhi’s emphasis on promoting younger and emerging faces, the final composition suggests the party has opted for a calibrated renewal rather than a sweeping overhaul.The reshuffle also highlights another political reality: Despite Shivakumar taking over as CM, his council of ministers continues to carry a strong Siddaramaiah imprint.Most of them are widely regarded as Siddaramaiah loyalists or MLAs who rose politically under his leadership over the past decade.The generational shift is evident in the profile of new entrants. Among the eight first-timers, Yathindra Siddaramaiah (45) is the youngest, followed by Rizwan Arshad (46) and Ajay Dharam Singh (51).The average age of first-time ministers is 56 years, but the expansion stops short of being a youth-centric cabinet. The seven comeback ministers have an average age of 64 years, bringing the overall average age of the 19 new entrants to about 60 years.Former speaker UT Khader (56), former deputy CM Laxman Savadi (66), PM Narendraswamy (64), Rudrappa Lamani (67), Basavaraj Rayareddi (69), C Puttarangashetty (71) and B Nagendra (54) have all served as ministers earlier.Their inclusion reflects Congress’ attempt to blend fresh faces with experienced administrators who can immediately shoulder governance responsibilities.The message becomes more pronounced when viewed against the list of seniors left out. Veterans such as TB Jayachandra (74), HK Patil (72), HC Mahadevappa (73), BR Patil (76), RV Deshpande (68), RB Timmapur (69), Shivanand Patil (67), NS Boseraju (66), Tanveer Sait (64) and Rahim Khan (64) did not find a place in the ministry.Their average age is 68 years, substantially higher than that of the new inductees.Yet, age alone was not the deciding factor. Relatively younger MLAs such as Laxmi Hebbalkar (49), Dinesh Gundu Rao (56), MC Sudhakar (58) and K Venkatesh (58) were overlooked, indicating that political performance, regional representation, caste equations and organisational priorities were weighed alongside generational considerations.Among the comeback ministers, Nagendra’s return stands out. The Ballari Rural MLA served as sports and Scheduled Tribes welfare minister and in charge of Ballari district in Siddaramaiah’s cabinet but resigned on June 4, 2024, following the Valmiki Corporation scam.CID, which investigated the case, gave Nagendra a clean chit, although the Enforcement Directorate continues its probe. In contrast, former excise minister Timmapur, who faced corruption allegations during his tenure, has been denied a cabinet berth, suggesting brass evaluated each case individually.Seniors who missed outTB Jayachandra (74)Dinesh Gundu Rao (56)K Venkatesh (58)BR Patil (76)RB Timmapur (69)Rahim Khan (64)Sharanabasappa Darshanapur (62)
