BSP set to be part of Congress-JDS government

In a first, BSP is set to be part of a government outside UP when party’s lone Karnataka MLA N Mahesh will take oath as a minister on Wednesday. This will also be the first instance of BSP sharing power in any government with Congress as a coalition partner, sources said. The BSP MLA will be accommodated in the JDS quota due to their pre-poll alliance.

BSP’s participation in the state Cabinet was cleared after BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday accepted the proposal from chief minister HD Kumaraswamy and JDS secretary general Danish Ali. Mayawati is deputing her colleague Satish Mishra to attend the swearing-in ceremony in Bengaluru. This even as Rahul Gandhi and Karnataka Congress leaders were busy finalising Congress nominees for the Cabinet.