Karnataka: Six seniors likely to make way for fresh faces in cabinet rejig

BENGALURU: With

chief minister BS Yediyurappa

set to complete one year in office in July, a

major cabinet reshuffle

is on the cards with the

party high command

favouring induction of new faces with mass connect and removal of “at least six senior ministers”.


A top source in the party said the reshuffle talk follows discontentment in the local party unit. “Some senior leaders have enjoyed power ever since the BJP came to power with an alliance with JD(S) in 2006. The party wants them to return to organisational work and make way for youngsters. This will help strengthen the party for the next assembly elections,” said a national leader who works closely with the leadership in New Delhi.

The high command’s thinking is that the revamp would put an end to a section of MLAs holding dinner meetings. Some of them recently met state BJP president

Nalin Kumar Kateel

purportedly to complain against Yediyurappa.

Yediyurappa had said he would induct defectors into the council of ministers as a reward for their efforts in helping the BJP form a government last year. The recent

MLC

elections from the assembly quota paved the way for MTB Nagaraju and R Shankar, defectors who aspire to be ministers, to enter the legislature.

There’s also a long list of loyalists who’d like

ministerial berths

and it’s likely that most new ministers will be picked by the high command. As there are six vacancies in the 34-member cabinet, sources said the chief minister may fill 10 berths after asking six ministers to resign and keep two slots vacant.

Yediyurappa will face a problem of plenty as five nominated seats in the council fell vacant on Tuesday and some newly nominated members may demand cabinet berths. Sources in the local unit said cabinet expansion may not happen soon for two reasons — the pandemic and the inauspicious month of Ashada.

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