# Congress rushes to pacify overlooked Karnataka MLAs 2026-08-07T02:46:37+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Karnataka Congress is in a firefighting mode after senior MLAs angrily rejected offers of party posts or board chairmanships in lieu of cabinet berths. M Krishnappa, the billionare five-time MLA from Vijayanagar, told the party he will settle for "nothing less than" a cabinet position. State Congress chief BK Hariprasad met Krishnappa on Friday after earlier talks with Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala failed. The party has now promised Krishnappa an audience with Rahul Gandhi. Former minister HK Patil, who was also overlooked, was assured by Surjewala that the party would 'compensate' him, but aides say he will not accept a lesser role. The unrest follows the cabinet expansion that saw nine new ministers sworn in, leaving several veterans out. Party brass is worried the discontent could hurt organisational strength ahead of the 2028 assembly elections. Some disgruntled seniors have framed the issue as an 'insider-versus-outsider battle'. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com - deccanherald.com Tags: 2028 assembly election, Cabinet expansion, HK Patil, Karnataka Congress Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/karnataka-congress-moves-to-placate-seniors-after-cabinet-snub/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/karnataka-congress-moves-to-placate-seniors-after-cabinet-snub/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.