Karnataka legislative session ends, over to cabinet expansion now

BENGALURU:  A highly-charged legislative session has just ended, but yet another challenge, of cabinet expansion and rejig, has cropped up before Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa. Lobbying for ministerial berths began almost immediately after the session and has aspirants taking a three-tiered approach.

One set of aspirants is banking on Yediyurappa to make his promise good, the other set is confident of Central leadership pushing their cause as ‘reward’ for their work, while another set of leaders is holding talks with state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel. Aspirants are lobbying on all three fronts to push for an early cabinet expansion and rejig. 

With the possibility of a rejig becoming more real, a few ministers in the Yediyurappa cabinet have been asked to consider resigning from their posts. Newly elevated National General Secretary C T Ravi, speaking to The New Indian Express, said that he will resign as soon as the Central leadership asks him to. “Party is my first priority.

I am willing to resign as a minister to work for the party. I was asked if I need time to rethink but I have already conveyed that I will resign if asked to without hesitation,” said Ravi, Minister for Tourism, Kannada and Culture. 

A quiet meeting of some 11 MLAs and six MLCs at Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi’s residence on Saturday night with Kateel as the chief guest indicated Jarkiholi’s push to be elevated as Deputy Chief Minister. He is already said to have held talks with Yediyurappa and Central leadership. Yediyurappa has already met the Central leadership over cabinet expansion and said he was waiting for a nod from them to go ahead. The process had to be put on hold due to the session and now is back on track with rejig and expansion expected to be held in the first week of October.