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D.K. Shivakumar meets Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on May 29, 2026. | Photo Credit: The Hindu

Hectic parleys in the Congress continued in New Delhi over the formation of the next government as factions pushed for a greater share in power when the new government under D.K. Shivakumar will be formed shortly. While the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) will meet on Saturday (May 30, 2026) to elect its new leader, the contours of the next government will also be known by then.

Meanwhile, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Friday (May 29, 2026) accepted the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and has asked him to continue as the caretaker Chief Minister till the next government is formed.

One of the sticky points on which consultations have continued, a senior leader said, was the composition of the Cabinet, whether there was a need to have the post of Deputy Chief Minister at all. While Mr. Siddaramaiah is pushing the party to decide on having multiple Deputy Chief Ministers to represent different caste groups, Mr. Shivakumar has been resisting the idea.

“The party had Deputy Chief Ministers in the past for various reasons. G. Parameshwara held the position in Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress alliance (headed by JD (S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy), and Mr. Shivakumar held the position on the strength of being KPCC chief. Such a situation is not there now. There are fears that having multiple Deputy Chief Ministers could create parallel power centres that the party does not want,” the leader explained. Sources said that the current deliberations were on to have two Deputy Chief Ministers.

Party sources also said that discussions were underway on whether a full Cabinet should be sworn in, along with the Chief Minister and about 15 Ministers. “The discussions currently are on having a good mix of experience and also young faces. Ultimately, the high command will decide on the Deputy Chief Minister posts and Cabinet formation as well,” the senior leader said. Another source said it was likely the new Cabinet would include about 10 to 15 new faces, and several seniors could be dropped depending on caste and regional factors.

Regarding the swearing-in ceremony of Mr Shivakumar, sources close to him said that multiple locations were being considered, as they expect a large crowd. “The swearing-in ceremony will be held next week, and dates are being discussed,” sources said.

On Friday (May 29, 2026), the scene shifted to Delhi, where leaders have been holding discussions with various stakeholders to arrive at a consensus on the government formation, a new chief for the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, and the party’s nominees for the upcoming Rajya Sabha and Karnataka Legislative Council elections. Both leaders are said to have briefed the central leadership on these issues. Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar held discussions even as both the leaders met Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal separately.

Mr. Siddaramaiah’s son and MLC Yathindra accompanied the veteran leader during his meetings with the central leadership.

Several Ministers from Mr. Siddaramaiah’s Cabinet are also camping in Delhi or reached the national capital on Friday (May 29, 2026), with discussion on Cabinet formation and Deputy Chief Minister taking the centre stage. While Byrathi Suresh, a close confidante of Mr. Siddaramaiah, met Mr. Shivakumar and his brother D.K. Suresh, Valmiki leader Satish Jarkiholi, an aspirant for KPCC president’s post, is learnt to have met Mr. Shivakumar.

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