2nd Cabinet reshuffle in under 24 hours in Karnataka as CM rushes into damage control mode

BENGALURU: Less than 24 hours after he allocated portfolios to seven new ministers and reshuffled ministries among his Cabinet colleagues, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa resorted to another round of reshuffling on Friday.

Owing to dissent among ministers over portfolios allocated to them, Yediyurappa rushed into damage control mode to woo his colleagues, especially after a few newcomers -- who were given Cabinet berths for quitting the Congress and JDS in 2019 and helping the BJP form the government in Karnataka -- are said to have threatened to quit as MLAs.

On Friday, Yediyurappa reshuffled the portfolios of six ministers -- JC Madhuswamy, Arvind Limbavali, Gopalaiah, N Nagaraj (MTB), R Shankar and KC Narayana Gowda. Four of the six ministers whose portfolios were reshuffled on Friday jumped ship to the BJP in 2019.

Madhuswamy who earlier held Minor Irrigation and Law & Parliamentary Affairs portfolios was divested of both on Thursday and given charge of Medical Education much to his dislike. He has now been given Haj & Wakf development in addition to the Medical Education ministry. Arvind Limbavali, who was given the forest portfolio on Thursday, has now been given additional charge of Kannada and Culture department.

The bigger reshuffle came for the four newcomers. MTB Nagaraj, who was miffed over being given the excise portfolio on Thursday, has been given Municipal Administration and Sugarcane Development. He was hoping to be made housing minister.

K Gopalaiah, who was earlier the minister for Food and Civil Supplies, was divested of the portfolio on Thursday and given Horticulture and Sugarcane ministries. A miffed Gopalaiah had skipped the cabinet on Thursday leading to BS Yediyurappa reshuffling his portfolio making him minister for Excise.

R Shankar who was given Municipal Administration ministry on Thursday has now been placed as minister for Horticulture and Sericulture. KC Narayana Gowda, who was given Youth Affairs ministry on Thursday, has been given additional charge of Planning, Programme Monitoring and Statistics.

Despite murmurs over Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar also being miffed over being divested of the Medical Education Portfolio, no changes have been introduced to his ministry.