After Amit Shah’s green signal, BS Yediyurappa forms Cabinet Tuesday

Bengaluru: A new-look ministry will take shape in Karnataka on Tuesday with BJP president Amit Shah giving his consent to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to induct 15 to 18 ministers into his cabinet during their meeting in New Delhi on Saturday.

Soon after emerging from his meeting with Mr Shah, the Chief Minister tweeted about the expansion of his cabinet on Tuesday as well as the fact that he will address a meeting of the legislature party in Vidhana Soudha hours ahead of the swearing in ceremony scheduled to be held in Raj Bhavan.

The ministry is likely to comprise five Lingayats, three Vokkaligas, seven or eight OBCs, one Brahmin, and one woman legislator. Former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, former ministers K S Eshwarappa, Govind Karjol, Umesh Katti, Balachandra Jarkiholi, R Ashok, Arvind Limbavali, Basavaraj Bommai, B Sreeramulu, S Suresh Kumar, and C T Ravi, J C Madhuswamy, Mrs Poornima Srinivas, Sunil Kumar and Shivanagowda Naik are set to join Mr Yediyurappa's team as part of a strategy to strengthen the party in all districts through representation in the ministry.

Sources in BJP said Mr Yediyurappa will set a new trend by addressing the legislature party meeting ahead of the expansion of his ministry as central leaders have reportedly advised him to explain the whys and wherefores of accommodating a limited number of MLAs while keeping in mind the caste calculus as well as some vacancies for rebels of Congress and JD (S) who have moved the Supreme Court against their disqualification by then Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar. At the meeting, the Chief Minister will seek the cooperation of unsuccessful ministerial aspirants to run the government smoothly rather than give an opportunity to the Opposition to attack the ruling party over discontent within.

Sources said during today's meeting Mr Shaw handed some tips to Mr Yediyurappa on running the administration but also talked tough on the composition of the new ministry and the style of functioning to be adopted by the Chief Minister and members of his cabinet.

Prior to his meeting with Mr Shah, the Chief Minister discussed the names of probable ministerial candidates with working president Jagat Prakash Nadda and national organizing secretary B L Santosh. During the next round of expansion, rebels of Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) would make it subject to the verdict of the Supreme Court, sources added.