Bengaluru: Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who was supposed to go to New Delhi to meet Union Home Minister and BJP national president Amit Shah, has cancelled his trip. He will reportedly meet with the Union minister when he arrives in Karnataka for the pro-CAA rally in Hubballi next week, and discuss matters relating to the Cabinet expansion.
It can be noted that Shah will be arriving in the state on January 17 ahead of the pro-CAA rally in Hubballi. CM BSY was supposed to meet him and discuss the Cabinet expansion as the ministerial hopefuls are becoming impatient.
Addressing the media recently, BSY said, “The Cabinet expansion should happen over the next one week to 10 days. Amit Shah will be in the state either on January 16 or 18. The Cabinet expansion will likely happen then.”
BJP MLA Dr K Sudhakar, speaking to the media recently, said, “CM BSY is looking for an auspicious moment. Once that moment arrives, he will award us with ministerial berths. That auspicious moment will ensure prosperity not just for our constituency but also for the state.”
If recent reports are to be believed, there might be a Cabinet reshuffle as the BJP has sought a performance report of all of BSY’s ministers. The report will have to be filed by someone other than BSY or the government in order to ensure that favouritism doesn’t affect it.
Eight new ministers to be added
It has also been reported that the BJP high command is likely to accommodate only eight rebels who won the by-polls. The BJP has made it clear that not all rebel MLAs, who won the by-polls on the BJP’s ticket, will be made ministers.
Reports suggest that Mahesh Kumathalli from Athani and Shrimant Patil from Kagwad are likely to be left out of the Cabinet.
Meanwhile, the fates of M T B Nagaraj (former Hoskote MLA) and H Vishwanath (former JD(S) state president and Hunsur MLA) are not yet known.
