Bengaluru: The BJP central leadership may have given the nod to Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to form his much delayed Cabinet but the list of ministers to be inducted will be decided by BJP National President Amit Shah only after a consultation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A senior BJP leader, on the condition of anonymity, told Deccan Chronicle that Mr Yediyurappa gave the list of MLAs he wants in the Cabinet to Mr Shah, who sought to know the credentials of each lawmaker which make him eligible to become minister. The list of new ministers, to be sworn in on Tuesday, is therefore likely to be sent to Yediyurappa only after the PM's approval on Monday, said sources.
The usual procedure adopted earlier by the CM was to get the list of ministers approved and announce it either in Delhi or after returning to Bengaluru. But Mr Shah is very particular about consulting Mr Modi which was why Mr Yediyurappa returned to Bengaluru Saturday night, without getting permission to announce the names of the ministers.
Both Mr Modi and Mr Shah are treading cautiously with regard to Karnataka knowing how the party was virtually forced to install three CMs from 2008 to 2013-Mr Yediyurappa, Mr D.V. Sadananda Gowda and Mr Jagadish Shettar because of internal dissent which dented its image badly. A miffed Yediyurappa had then resigned and floated a new party which resulted in a humiliating defeat for the BJP in the 2013 Assembly polls.
Though several names are doing the rounds, no one know for sure who will make it to the Cabinet. Before meeting Mr Yediyurappa, Mr Shah is learnt to have held a meeting with senior RSS functionary and BJP national organising secretary, Mr Santosh to know his views on the CM's list. The number of berths to be filled in the first round, will also be decided on Monday, sources said.
Meanwhile, Mr Yediyurappa told reporters on Sunday that there will be no BJP Legislature Party meeting on Tuesday as announced earlier. The swearing-in-ceremony of the new ministers will take place on Tuesday at 10 am. The legislature party meeting is expected to be held on Thursday or Friday.
