BS Yediyurappa sets off to Delhi to finalise cabinet berths

Bengaluru: Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday left for Delhi where, party sources said, he will consult the BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president and home minister Amit Shah, on expanding the state cabinet.

Yediyurappa is facing flak from opposition Congress for not expanding the ministry; he is the sole member in the ministry 10 days after swearing in as chief minister. With a long list of aspirants for ministerial posts, he has a tough task choosing his cabinet members and pacifying MLAs who may not make it to the ministry. He also has to provide for rebel Congress and Janata Dal (S) MLAs whose revolt pulled down the HD Kumaraswamy regime.

The CM is expected to stay in Delhi for three days and return only after finalising the list of ministers, BJP sources said. They expect him to induct only a few ministers now and keep a few berths open to induct the rebel Congress and JD(S) MLAs later. As many as 17 rebel MLAs had been disqualified from the Assembly. Their case is now pending before the Supreme Court.


“It appears the new cabinet will have about 15 ministers. At this point, the disqualified MLAs would not want to be inducted due to technical issues. So, the CM may keep a few berths open until the issue of disqualified MLAs reaches a logical end,” a BJP legislator told ET.

Another challenge for the CM is to strike a balance between community and geographical representation. “Since the BJP has been winning primarily due to Lingayat votes, BSY will be under pressure to keep the community happy. But, then, he also has the responsibility to represent Vokkaligas, Kurubas and other backward castes that supported him,” said political analyst Harish Ramaswamy.

For Yediyurappa, now 76, perhaps this is the last chance to serve as the chief minister — the BJP has mostly followed an age barrier of 75 years for its leaders to hold official positions. Therefore, the CM and the party leadership may want to nurture a second line of leadership in the state. That means a couple of leaders may get powerful portfolios in the cabinet, said political observers.

Though Yediyurappa is said to have left for Delhi with a list of people that he would like to see in his cabinet, the final decision will largely depend on the central leadership. Recently, the central leadership chose Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri over Yediyurappa’s candidate, KG Bopaiah, to the post of speaker. “Since the BJP is in a formidable position in the Centre, it will curtail the bargaining power of the CM. It appears like the RSS and the central leadership is going to be heavy on him,” Ramaswamy said.