Cabinet age debate puts veterans on edge

Bengaluru: A raging debate over age and succession planning of chief minister-designate DK Shivakumar’s cabinet has surfaced within Congress, with younger legislators seeking greater representation and seniors arguing for continuity.

At the heart of the discussion is whether Shivakumar will opt for a generational shift or continue to rely on veterans who dominated Siddaramaiah’s council of ministers. Congress’ high command is reportedly advocating a Kerala-style model that blends experience with youngsters.

Under Siddaramaiah, the average age of ministers was 64-65 years. Of the 34 ministers, 21 were above 60 years, including nine in the 70-80 age group.

“Since the high command wants to nurture second-line leaders, there is a strong push to form a relatively younger cabinet with those in the 40-60 years group,” said a KPCC office-bearer. “This will not only give enough opportunity for youngsters to learn from veterans but also form a future leadership group of the party.”

Supporters of the move point to Kerala’s cabinet to emphasise their point. “Kerala presents a more balanced age distribution,” one functionary said. “The state has only two ministers above 70 years, while six are below 50, including representation from the 30-40 and 40-50 age groups. The inclusion of younger legislators and first-time MLAs in Kerala has reinforced the perception that Congress is consciously investing in second-line leadership.”

An AICC member said adopting a similar benchmark in Karnataka could mean dropping 12-13 ministers aged between 70 and 81 years while increasing representation for legislators in the 40-50 age group.

However, seniors argue Karnataka’s politics differ from Kerala’s. “Unlike Kerala’s cadre-driven political culture, Karnataka’s governance model continues to depend heavily on senior caste functionaries and regional strongmen. Seniority and social equations remain central to cabinet formation,” said an MLA from Kalyana Karnataka.

An MLA from the Malnad region said: “Unless younger faces are gradually empowered, the party cannot confront a serious succession crisis in the next decade, especially when BJP is already picking young members in several other states.”