Karnataka chief minister DK Shivakumar, along with former CM Siddaramaiah and state Congress president BK Hariprasad, will travel to New Delhi on Monday for a possible meeting with the Congress high command to finalise the list of candidates for the 20 vacant ministries as part of the long-pending cabinet expansion in the southern state.HT ImageA meeting of senior party leaders is scheduled for Monday evening, with leaders familiar with the matter saying the much-delayed cabinet expansion could be announced as early as Tuesday or Wednesday.The exercise comes days before Karnataka’s legislature convenes for its monsoon session in the first week of August, leaving the ruling Congress in the state with little room for further delay. Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said on Saturday that the expansion could take place at any time.Shivakumar, who was sworn in as CM along with 13 ministers on June 3, following Siddaramaiah’s resignation on May 28, on Sunday said he had convened a meeting of Union ministers and lawmakers from Karnataka in Delhi to discuss the drought situation and other issues concerning the state.With the sanctioned strength of the Karnataka council of ministers being 34, including the CM, 20 ministerial berths remain vacant. More than 60 Congress legislators are eyeing those 20 berths.The final list has already been discussed by Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah with Venugopal and AICC general secretary Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, people familiar with the matter said. The names now await clearance from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior party leader Rahul Gandhi, they added.“The list is expected to receive its final approval from Rahul Gandhi, while Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is also expected to participate in the decision. Some changes remain possible because Rahul Gandhi has favoured bringing more new faces into the ministry,” a senior Congress leader said, requesting anonymity.That preference has reshaped the contest.Within the party, leaders describe the approach as a “50-20 formula” that favours politicians around 50 years old who have spent roughly two decades building the organisation while also creating space for younger legislators and first time MLAs.The prospect of such a shift has transformed New Delhi into a destination for aspiring ministers. Newly elected legislators have spent the past several days meeting Shivakumar in Bengaluru before heading to the Capital, while supporters in their constituencies have organised rallies and meetings to reinforce their claims.Among those eyeing a cabinet berth are Babasaheb Patil, Basanagowda Turvihal, N T Srinivas, J N Ganesh, Vishwas Vaidya, B B Chimmanakatti, K Harish Gowda, Ravi Shankar, Prakash Koliwad and Shivaganga Basavaraj.“There is a young team of 20 to 25 new MLAs in the party. We all came to give a message that newbies should also get a chance. We came to politics after struggling due to poverty. If we get a chance, we get encouragement to do good work,” JN Ganesh told reporters.The negotiations extend beyond ministerial appointments. Congress leaders are also weighing whether to create two additional deputy chief minister posts alongside G Parameshwara, a move that leaders in the know said is intended to widen representation for Lingayats, Scheduled Tribes and backward classes.Public works department minister Satish Jarkiholi, large scale industries minister MB Patil and BK Hariprasad are among the names under discussion.“Like Shivakumar, who held both state Congress chief and Deputy CM posts, Hariprasad would be made Deputy Chief Minister,” a legislator close to Hariprasad indicated, declining to be named.The leadership is also expected to reserve at least two cabinet positions for women as it works through competing demands over region, caste and gender.