BANGALORE: KPCC President G Parameshwara’s insistence on a deputy chief minister’s post is likely to push Cabinet expansion till after Dasara.This means ministerial aspirants will have to wait till the first week of October.
Some aspirants, scheduled to fly to the US to attend a Kannada meet, met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to ask whether they should cancel the trip in the wake of reports that he will expand the Cabinet after the Ganesha festival. Sources quoting the CM said he had advised them to go ahead as the expansion would happen only after the Dasara festivities were done on October 4. The reason for the delay is said to be Parameshwara’s refusal to accept anything less than the Deputy CM’s post. The CM is not conceding the position, wary of creating a second power centre.
The party will now ask AICC chief Sonia Gandhi to intervene since the two leaders aren’t budging.