BENGALURU, July 13 -- The Congress is expected to take up the long pending expansion of the Karnataka cabinet this week, with chief minister DK Shivakumar, former chief minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president BK Hariprasad likely to be called to New Delhi for consultations after party leader Rahul Gandhi returns from his foreign visit, according to senior Congress leaders in the know.

More than a month after Shivakumar assumed office, the ministry continues to have several vacant berths, fuelling intense lobbying by legislators and senior leaders. "The leadership wants to complete the exercise before the next Assembly session, but it also wants to ensure every region and major community gets adequate repr...