Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa will on Thursday conduct his long-delayed cabinet expansion since he took office in July 2019. The swearing-in is expected to take place at 10.30am on Thursday.
News agency ANI shared a letter from Yediyurappa to the Karnataka governor proposing the names of the 10 prospective ministers. Not surprisingly, all the 10 are former MLAs of the JD(S) and Congress. They were among 17 MLAs who resigned in July 2019, paving the way for the downfall of the coalition government led by H.D. Kumaraswamy. They joined the BJP formally in November 2019 and went on to win bypolls held in December.
According to the notification, the prospective cabinet ministers are S.T. Somashekar, Ramesh Jarkiholi, Anand Singh, K. Sudhakar, B.A. Basavaraja, Shivram Hebbar, Basavanagowda Channabasavanagowda Patil, K. Gopalaiah, Narayana Gowda and S.B. Patil. Of these, Narayana Gowda and K. Gopalaiah were former members of the JD(S). Sudhakar, S.B. Patil, Anand Singh, S.T. Somashekar, Shivram Hebbar, Ramesh Jarkiholi, B.A. Basavaraja and Basavanagowda Channabasavanagowda Patil are former Congress MLAs.
Yediyurappa had said several times that he had promised to make the rebel MLAs ministers. Yediyurappa had even lauded them for sacrificing their posts in the Congress and JD(S) to make way for a BJP government. The cabinet expansion had been delayed since December amid reports of unease among 'old-time' members of the BJP that precedence was being given to the 'new' MLAs. A total of 16 ministerial berths were vacant in the government, which is allowed to have a maximum of 34 ministers.
Later media reports indicated that only 13 berths would be filled: 10 newly elected MLAs and three original BJP MLAs. However, Yediyurappa told Deccan Herald on Wednesday evening, "Our Delhi leaders have said that only 10 should be inducted for now. On inducting others, I've been asked to come to Delhi."
Interestingly, only one rebel MLA who won the bypolls in December is not being made a minister. Mahesh Kumathalli, a former Congress MLA, had won from Athani constituency.
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Earlier this week, Kumathalli expressed his anguish at not being given a slot. Kumathalli alleged Yediyurappa "seems to have changed his mind and declared he had joined the BJP "trusting" the chief minister.
“I sacrificed my MLA post to come to the BJP. There are reports that they don’t want to induct me into the cabinet. I will not stoop to their level and ask why. They are asking me to sacrifice again. I am ready to do that, but it has deeply hurt me. I will do whatever Yediyurappa assigns me to. I am ready to even sweep the floor of BJP office,” Kumathalli was quoted as saying by The Hindu.
