BENGALURU: More than three weeks after he took over as Chief Minister, BS Yediyurappa is set to induct ministers into his cabinet on Tuesday afternoon. On Saturday, the CM finally got the go-ahead from Union Home Minister and BJP president Amit Shah to fix the date for the much-awaited cabinet expansion.
The BJP, as well as the CM, had come under fire from the opposition - Congress and JDS - for the delay in inducting ministers, especially at a time when many parts of the state were reeling under floods.
The names of BJP leaders to be inducted into the ministry and portfolios to be allocated are likely to be finalised on Monday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns from his two-day visit to Bhutan, a senior BJP leader in the know of the developments told The New Sunday Express.
Among the names doing the rounds are Jagadish Shettar, R Ashoka, Govind Karjol, K S Eshwarappa, B Sriramulu, A Ramdas, Suresh Kumar and Dr Ashwathnarayana. The CM is also said to be contemplating on inducting at least two MLCs - Y A Narayanaswamy, N Ravikumar or Kota Srinivas Poojari.
On Saturday evening, Yediyurappa and Shah held a closed-door meeting for nearly one hour to discuss induction of ministers and other issues related to the state. Apart from the names suggested by Yediyurappa, the party top brass is likely to consult other senior leaders, especially B L Santosh, before taking a final call, sources said. Senior BJP leaders in the state were tight-lipped about the developments, including names discussed during the meeting.
Soon after his meeting with Shah, Yediyurappa took to social media to announce the date for induction of ministers into his cabinet.
Before the CM headed to Delhi airport to take a flight back to Bengaluru on Saturday, he tweeted, “The state BJP legislature party meeting will be held at 10 am on Tuesday in the conference hall of Vidhana Soudha. In the afternoon, the oath-taking ceremony of the new ministers will be held,” Around the same time, his office in Bengaluru too issued a statement confirming the date for the cabinet expansion.
According to party sources, in the first round, the CM is likely to induct 12-16 ministers and on the same day, the government is likely to make appointments to the boards and corporations to placate aspirants who may not make it to the ministry. Around 10 slots in the ministry are likely to be kept open to accommodate the rebel Congress and JDS MLAs.
“In one of the meetings with party leaders, Amit Shah had made it clear that the composition of the ministry should not be based only on caste and region, rather performance should be the main criterion,” a senior BJP leader said, indicating that party bosses may direct the CM to have a cabinet with a right mix of experienced leaders and some young leaders.
“Only on Monday will we get clarity on the names and portfolios,” said a party MP.