New Delhi: Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, who is in Delhi to take part in the joint conference of Chief Ministers of the States and Chief Justices of High Courts at Vigyan Bhavan organised by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice and presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, met AICC President Sonia Gandhi at her 10 Janpath residence and held talks on various issues including the reshuffle or expansion of his nearly two-year-old Cabinet.

Sources close to Siddharamaiah said that a final decision on the expansion or reshuffle could be taken after the return of Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi who is on a sabbatical. The High Command apparently is reluctant to take a call in Rahul’s absence.

Many Ministerial aspirants have said that Siddharamaiah has once again dangled the possibility of a Cabinet reshuffle or expansion by taking the issue to Sonia Gandhi to silence disgruntled MLAs.

During the meeting with Sonia Gandhi, Siddharamaiah is said to have made efforts to clear the misconception the High Command has about his Government’s handling of IAS officer D.K. Ravi’s death case.

However, a senior party leader, accompanying Siddharamaiah, said that chances of any reshuffle or expansion in the near future seem to be bleak.

The focus of the discussion between Siddharamaiah and Sonia Gandhi was on KPCC President Dr. G. Parameshwara who is purportedly playing the Dalit card to win the post of CM or Dy. CM. It is also said that Siddharamaiah is willing to give Parameshwara a Ministerial berth with a portfolio of Parameshwara’s choice to ensure that the Dalits don’t spoil the party’s prospects in the ensuing GP polls.

Siddharamaiah, who returned to Karnataka Bhavan after the meeting refused to divulge the details to waiting newsmen.