Karnataka cabinet expansion: Veterans out, young blood in?

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa left for Delhi, Thursday evening to meet the BJP top brass and finalise his cabinet but it remains to be seen if he will be able to get many of his loyalists into the ministry, with sources claiming the central leadership may have its way this time to make sure the party’s only government in South India has a smooth run unlike 2008-13 when it was wracked by dissent.

Sources close to Yediyurappa said there is a long queue of senior leaders waiting to enter the Cabinet, including many from the dominant Lingayat community.

There are more than 30 aspirants lobbying for cabinet berths but the CM in the first stage, is likely to induct only 15 ministers. One of them is likely to be former CM Jagadish Shettar who has reportedly expressed his eagerness to  join the Yediyurappa cabinet though he was CM earlier.

The top brass had consulted party national organizing secretary, B.L. Santhosh who hails from Karnataka, on the composition of the new ministry. The CM may be asked to induct young faces who have a strong organizational background and this could spoil the prospects of several veterans, said sources. Those who could miss the bus include Yediyurappa loyalists like former ministers Murugesh Nirani, Umesh Katti, C.M. Udasi and V. Somanna.  

Yediyurappa has been functioning like a ‘one-man army’ ever since he was sworn in on July 26 with several factors including the disquali fication case of the rebel MLAs now pending in the Supreme Court and the disastrous floods, forcing the party to keep the expansion on hold.

On Friday, the chief minister is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi followed by meetings with Party National President Amit Shah and senior Bharatiya Janata Party functionaries on Saturday  where the list of ministers is expected to be finalised. The swearing-in ceremony is likely to be held on August 19 (Monday).

According to sources, Shettar, to buttress his claim to a ministerial berth, had cited examples from the state itself (B.D. Jatti)  and Tamil Nadu ( O. Panneerselvam) where former chief ministers have found place in the cabinet former later. Yediyurappa even requested Shettar to accompany him to Delhi  so that he could have a role in picking ministers said sources, who added that this did not happen as the central leadership has reportedly already finalized the list.