Status quo for State representation at Centre

BANGALORE: The current representation of four ministers from Karnataka in the Union Cabinet, including External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, is unlikely to be altered when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will undertake a ministry expansion exercise next week.Refuting reports that Krishna may be sent to Karnataka to lead the party well ahead of the 2013 assembly elections, highly placed sources in the state Congress said all the four ministers who are holding powerful portfolios are likely to maintain status quo.The sources also dismissed reports of Krishna's removal from his post as "speculatory" and "untrue".Taking into consideration the 'better than expected' performance of the four ministers, a senior Congress leader also informed that the scorecard of Union Labour Minister M Mallikarjun Kharge was "excellent" and had won laurels to his ministry as well as to the UPA government.The ministers had performed well in both the houses of the Parliament, amid the presence of a strong and unrelenting Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.However, rumours in political circles are rife that in the proposed Cabinet reshuffle, likely to be implemented before the Monsoon session of Parliament in August, Krishna, the seniormost minister in the Union Cabinet, and Home Minister P Chidambaram are likely to be shifted to newer posts.Though the Congress had fared poorly in the 2009 general elections in the state by winning only six out of the total 28 seats, PM Manmohan Singh provided four berths to Karnataka three Cabinet and one minister of state (MoS) rank.While Rajya Sabha member S M Krishna was made Minister for External Affairs, firsttime MP Veerappa Moily (Chickballapur) and Mallikarjun Kharge (Gulbarga SC) were inducted as Union Ministers for Law and Labour, respectively. Six-time MP K H Muniyappa was made as MoS for Railways.It may be recalled that Krishna, who was appointed as KPCC president ahead of the 1999 assembly elections, led the party to power after an interval of five years.The Congress, however, lost the 2004 assembly elections despite Krishna's efforts due to successive drought, the Cauvery river water dispute and Kannada matinee idol Dr Rajkumar's abduction and eventual release by forest brigand Veerappan.AICC president Sonia Gandhi and the PM had met recently and reportedly discussed about the possible names to be dropped and inducted into the Cabinet.