Bengaluru, Aug 3 (UNI) Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who was expected to return to the city with the final list of probable ministers, has cancelled the flights twice in the day as the finalisation work remained inconclusive.
Party sources said that the chief minister had booked Vistara and Air Indigo flights twice to return.
Bommai yesterday in Delhi had said that the central leadership would publish the final list of probable ministers and would fly back with it.
Sources also said that a list of 13 ministerial probables is being deliberated upon in which nine legislators are first-time ministerial probables. They are Raju Gowda, Abhay Patil, P Rajeev, Dattaraya Chandrashekhar Patil Revoor, Aravind Bellad, Shankar Patil Munenakoppa, K Poornima and one more legislator.
Remaining four legislators, who were ministers in BS Yediyurappa's cabinet, are Govind Karjol, Aravind Limbavali, Murgesh Nirani and B Sriramulu.
Karjol's and Sriramulu's names are also doing rounds as probable deputy chief ministers, alongwith R Ashoka and CN Ashwanthnarayan's names. If Ashoka's name is finalised as the deputy chief minister, then Ashwanthnarayan's name could be dropped from the list as they both belong to Bengaluru urban district.
Both Karjol and Ashwathnarayan also were deputy chief ministers, along with Laxman Savadi in Yediyurappa's cabinet.
Karjol is a Dalit, whereas Ashwathnarayan is a Vokkaliga and Savadi a Lingayat. Besides wooing these communities, the induction of these three ministers as Bommai's deputies appears to be an attempt of the party leadership at balancing caste and regional factors.
Vokkaligas and Lingayats are two of Karnataka’s most dominant communities. Sriramulu belongs to Valmiki samaj.
Between 2008-13, the BJP government had two deputy chief ministers Ashoka and KS Eshwarappa and in the previous Yediyurappa's cabinet there were three.
After reaching Delhi on Sunday night, Bommai had held talks with Union Ministers Amit Shah, Prahlad Joshi, Dharmendra Pradhan, party national organising secretary BL Santosh and party's state-incharge Arun Singh.
Bommai had a three-hour discussion with Joshi at the central leadership's suggestion to finalise the list. After the discussions, Bommai had a discussion with Nadda at his house.
On Monday, Bommai had visited Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the day and in the evening, resumed talks with Nadda and other central leaders. Emerging from the meeting, Bommai had said that he had submitted three lists to the central leadership, but deliberated on only one list.
They decided to resume the deliberations the next day.
Today, Bommai resumed the talks in the evening and preparation of the list remained inconclusive.
The brainstorming session will resume tomorrow.
UNI BDN RHK2225