Bengaluru: With Union Home Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah busy in Parliament seeking clearance for the Constitutional bill for repealing Article 370 of the Constitution which provides special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa was unable to meet him on Tuesday to discuss the much-awaited Cabinet expansion.
Mr. Yediyurappa is in Delhi and was to meet Mr Shah on Tuesday but the meeting did not happen. The CM did meet Working President J.P. Nadda in the morning at Parliament hall but reportedly did not discuss the expansion.
According to sources close to the CM, Mr Yediyurappa is likely to meet Mr Shah on Wednesday.
He is also slated to meet party top functionaries including national organizing secretary B.L. Santhosh and others.
Sources indicated that Mr Yediyurappa is likely to get the nod to expand the Cabinet by inducting 15 to 18 ministers in the first round. He may have to keep the remaining 15 odd posts for the disqualified Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs who are awaiting the Supreme Court decision on their petition challenging their disqualification by then Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar.
Meanwhile, several senior leaders and cabinet aspirants reached Delhi Monday night. They include former CM Jagadish Shettar, senior leaders, R. Ashok, Govind Karjol, Basavaraj Bommai and V. Somanna. Sources said they met central leaders who are close to Mr Shah while lobbying for berths.
