Bengaluru: Will former Union minister C.M. Ibrahim, and not former minister H.M. Revanna, make it to the cabinet shortly?
Speculation about Mr Ibrahim's entry into the ministry gained ground after Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi issued a statement in New Delhi that the former's candidature for forthcoming bypoll to the Legislative Council was approved by party president Sonia Gandhi on Friday.
A senior leader told Deccan Chronicle that Mr Revanna, who was originally tipped to gain a cabinet berth, reportedly irked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah by claiming that he would be the next forest minister.
Besides, he was proving too big for his shoes and tried to call the shots in the government during the last two years much to the chagrin of Mr Siddaramaiah. "When Mr Meti made it to the cabinet almost a year ago, Mr Revanna was in the contention but he lost an opportunity as Mr Siddaramaiah inducted Mr Meti by playing the regional card. (Meti had to later make his exit from the Cabinet following allegations pertaining to a sex tape) This time the CM is likely to play the minorities card by accommodating Mr Ibrahim in the ministry," he added.
The leader said though Mr Ibrahim lost to his rival by a whopping margin of 56,041 votes in the Assembly polls in 2013, Mr Siddaramaiah was backing his candidature for several reasons-his oratory skills which would come in handy during debates in the upper House, and the fact that he first proposed Anna canteens on the lines of Amma canteen in Tamil Nadu whihc was later christened as Indira canteen, and launched by party vice president, Rahul Gandhi, on August 16.
