BENGALURU: Amid fears of more rebellion breaking out if any existing minister is dropped from the cabinet, coalition partners Congress and JDS have agreed to only fill up the vacant berths instead of reshuffling the cabinet. 

In a meeting of coalition leaders held by AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal on Wednesday morning, it was decided to consider Ramesh Jarkiholi, BC Patil and independent MLA R Shankar to be inducted into the cabinet.

While Congress is keen on accommodating Patil in the one vacant berth under its quota, Ramesh will be accommodated in one of the two cabinet berths under the JDS quota.

“Kumaraswamy has agreed to take the initiative of pacifying Jarkiholi and accommodating him under the JDS quota. JDS will reach out to the disgruntled MLA after consultations with (party supremo) H D Deve Gowda,” a source privy to the meeting at Kumarakrupa Guest House said. 

Venugopal met with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, coordination committee chief Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, KPCC chief Dinesh Gundu Rao and senior ministers M B Patil and D K Shivakumar on Wednesday for the first time after the Lok Sabha poll debacle. Under immense compulsion to keep the coalition government going,

Venugopal is said to have asked senior leaders of both the parties to draw an action plan that involves more coordination, public perception building and a systematic approach to legislators and concerns raised by them. 

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“Cabinet expansion was supposed to be announced today but Kumaraswamy wanted to discuss the matter with Deve Gowda. Another round of talks will be held tomorrow after which the official announcement will be made. Three people will be accommodated in the cabinet and two-four will be given boards and corporations appointments,” a source said.

Sources from the meeting suggested that while JDS would prefer to drop a few sitting ministers and make way for new faces, the Congress believes it will only make matters worse.

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Venugopal will hold another meeting with senior Congress leaders on Thursday to finalise on the names and the risks involved.

Congress is sure that possible poaching attempts are only a matter of time. Congress has 79 MLAs and JDS has 37. Two more MLAs in the house of 224 are independents and one is a BSP legislator.