India, Aug. 9 -- Karnataka Congress faces portfolio lobbying as Shivakumar moves to contain discontent.

With the allocation of portfolios to the newly-inducted Karnataka ministers expected by the weekend, intense lobbying has begun within the Congress, with several ministers vying for key departments, even as Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar is racing to contain discontent among legislators ahead of the Assembly session. The demand is said to be highest for influential departments such as Labour, Social Welfare, Finance, Planning, and Higher Education, with several ministers making their preferences known to the party leadership. Senior Congress leader and newly inducted minister Basavaraja Rayareddi on Friday openly expressed his desire t...