Karnataka CM meets Shah and Nadda, promises 'sweet news' on cabinet expansion

Yediyurappa, who has made several trips to the capital for ensuring clearance for a cabinet expansion, sounded upbeat about its prospects.

Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Sunday met Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda in the capital to discuss issues related to the upcoming by-polls in the state as well as the much-awaited cabinet expansion. BJP national general secretary-in-charge of Karnataka Arun Singh was also present during the meeting.

Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa. (ANI)

After the hour-long meeting, a smiling Yediyurappa told reporters, "I had a detailed discussion with the national leaders and explained to them in details about our victory in the recent gram panchayat polls and they expressed happiness about the same. We also discussed candidates for the upcoming by-polls to two assembly seats and one Lok Sabha constituency and they have asked the state unit to send the names so that it can be cleared immediately."

The chief minister was referring to the upcoming by-polls to Basava Kalyan and Maski assembly segments apart from the Belagavi Lok Sabha constituency the schedule for which is likely to be announced by the Election Commission in less than a month. The by-poll to the Belagavi Lok Sabha seat was necessitated after the sudden death of Union minister Suresh Angadi due to Covid-19.

After landing in Bengaluru, Yediyurappa told media that about seven members would be inducted in the cabinet "with the oath-taking ceremony likely to take place on the afternoon of January 13."

The Maski assembly seat by-poll became due because Pratap Gowda Patil who was elected on a Congress ticket and chose to cross over to the BJP. The Basava Kalyan seat became vacant after the incumbent Congress MLA, B Narayan Rao, died due to Covid-related complications.

Yediyurappa, who has made several trips to the capital for ensuring clearance for a cabinet expansion, sounded upbeat about its prospects, saying that "this was the last meeting for that (issue). We had a detailed discussion. You will all hear the sweet news shortly."

Asked whether it was cabinet expansion or there would be a reshuffle also, he said, "Please wait and see, all (issues) will be resolved shortly."

Asked whether he would continue to remain the CM for the remaining two and half year term, Yediyurappa ducked the question telling the media, "you should tell me that." According to a person privy to the meeting, “Shah appreciated the BJP’s performance in the gram panchayat polls where BJP-backed candidates doubled their numbers and for winning two assembly seats in the by-elections in Sira and Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency”.

On whether the CM will initiate the process of expanding the cabinet following Sunday’s meeting with the party brass, a second functionary said the CM had “many issues to discuss”.

The cabinet expansion in the state has been on the cards for over a year now.

The first functionary said the meeting will also put to rest the speculation that the party unit is still bickering. “There is no substance in the claims that the CM will be replaced. He has been a consistent performer and has delivered,” the functionary said. The second leader added that the central leadership will revert on the issue of cabinet expansion by Monday evening.

AH Vishwanath, MTB Nagaraju and R Shankar - three legislators who quit their MLA posts to help the BJP topple the Congress-JDS coalition government - are demanding that "their sacrifices be recognised and rewarded with a cabinet berth as promised."

While Nagaraju and Vishwanath contested on a BJP ticket and lost in by-polls held in November 2019, both of them, along with Shankar, were sent to the Vidhana Parishat, the upper house. However, Karnataka HC has ruled that Vishwanath cannot be inducted as he was nominated in the literature category rather than being elected by legislators as Nagaraju and Shankar were.

Also 'original' BJP legislators like Renukacharya, Umesh Katti, MP Kumaraswamy, GH Thippareddy, Poornima Srinivas and several others have publicly said that they should be inducted into the cabinet as they have been steadfastly loyal to the party.

In the 224 member assembly, BJP has 119 members plus the support of three independents while the Congress has 67 and the JDS has 33 with two seats vacant. The maximum number of cabinet berths can be 34, including the chief minister.

Currently there seven vacancies. Political analyst Aravind said that Yediyurappa might go in for a cabinet reshuffle along with an expansion and drop some of the non-performing ministers. "He would like to keep at least two vacancies empty so as to stave off any dissidence. But looks like finally, he has got the green signal from the party high command and he may go in for a mix of party veterans plus rewarding MTB Nagaraju and R Shankar."

The analyst added that the tricky challenge lay in identifying a candidate for the Belagavi LS seat especially as Anagadi's family is demanding it for one of its members, something the party was unlikely to agree. "Also Yediyurappa's second son, the ambitious Vijayendra, has been eyeing the Basava Kalyan seat and therefore it would be interesting to see who gets that ticket," he added.