Even as the chorus for a cabinet expansion is growing, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday appointed in-charge ministers for the 31 districts.
Interestingly, Bommai, who retained Bengaluru Urban with him, has alloted the districts to 28 ministers such that each gets the responsibility of a district other than their home district. With this, the CM hopes to avoid infighting among the ministers with each trying to control their home district.
While senior ministers R. Ashok (revenue) and J.C. Madhuswamy (law), who had been lobbying for Bengaluru Urban and Tumakuru respectively, have not been given charge of any district, IT-BT minister Dr C.N. Ashwathnarayan was lucky to retain Ramanagara where he is entangled in a political battle with fellow Vokkaligas and Congress leaders—Kanakapura MLA D. K. Shivakumar and his younger brother D. K. Suresh.
Anand Singh, who fought hard for the new district of Vijayanagara (carved out from Ballari district), was given the charge of Koppala. Three ministers have been given charge of two districts each—B.C. Patil (Chitradurga and Gadag), K. Gopalaiah (Hassan and Mandya) and Shankar Patil Munnenakoppa (Raichur and Bidar).
While the CM had previously appointed district in-charge ministers only for Covid management and flood relief work, the current appointments will help facilitate district review meetings, even as the state is bracing for the Assembly elections next year.
Amid the growing demand for cabinet reshuffle and expansion (to fill up the four vacancies), Bommai remained non-committal on carrying out the exercise before the budget session. While MLAs in Belagavi had gone into a huddle to "discuss" the impending cabinet expansion and adequate representation for the district, several other MLAs from Vijayapura, Davangere and Kalaburagi have openly expressed their desire to be inducted into the cabinet.
"I know there are four vacancies in the cabinet and it is not wrong to aspire for a cabinet berth. I will discuss the issue with the party high command if and when I will be asked to do so," said Bommai.
