BENGALURU: While there is a strong buzz that Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will go in for a cabinet expansion after the results of the election in five states are announced, insiders in the government said that unless some serious issues are addressed, the cabinet expansion or reshuffle is mostly unlikely.
The BJP leadership is concerned that if the government fills up the four vacant cabinet posts, it could give rise to resentment as there are many claimants, since this could be the last reshuffle if they do undertake the exercise. Among the aspirants are Honnali MLA and CM’s political secretary M P Renukacharya, who has been openly asking for non-performers to be dropped so those others can be accommodated.
Former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi too has been eagerly waiting to be reinducted into the cabinet after the Special Investigation Team, probing the sex CD case allegedly involving him, submitted a B-report. He had also recently met Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the campaigning for Goa polls and has openly asked to be readmitted into the ministry. There are many other aspirants, like C P Yogeshwara, who was dropped from the cabinet.
According to informed sources, the CM might find it difficult to carry out a cabinet expansion or reshuffle unless he balances the recommendations of former CM B S Yediyurappa and BJP national general secretary B L Santosh.
While Yediyurappa has been insistent that his son and party state vice-president B Y Vijayendra be inducted into the ministry, the party has kept it in abeyance saying that it will invite criticism of “dynasty politics”. But Yediyurappa loyalists are questioning about others in the party who are related, like party leader Jagadish Shettar’s brother who was renominated to the Council.
Party insiders said appointments to state boards and corporations have also been kept pending for the same reason. “Only those should be appointed to boards who can secure the party at least a large number of votes. But in the recent list of recommendations, there were many functionaries who would not be able to bring in any sizeable number of votes. But because of a standoff between Yediyurappa and Santosh over the final list, this too has been kept in abeyance,” a source said.