The Karnataka cabinet is set to expand on August 3, with 20 legislators likely to be sworn in as ministers. Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has received a letter from the Congress high command containing the list of approved names for induction into the state cabinet.
According to reports, 12 of the 20 inductees will be new faces, while others include returning ministers. One notable comeback is that of B. Nagendra, former Minister for Scheduled Tribes Welfare, who will rejoin the cabinet.
The expansion comes amid intense competition among Muslim legislators from Bengaluru. Sources said this has become a stress point, especially with elections to five corporations in the Greater Bengaluru Authority region expected to be held shortly. The choice of which Bengaluru Muslim leaders get cabinet berths is seen as politically significant ahead of those polls.