State cabinet reshuffle within this month: Siddaramaiah

MYSURU: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said the much awaited reshuffle of the state cabinet will be done within this month.

"We will do it (cabinet reshuffle) within this month... Reshuffle involves dropping few and inducting few," he told reporters here.

"Yardstick is giving opportunity for new people. Already three years have been completed, there are aspirants, there is need to give opportunity to them," he added.

Siddaramiah, who had planned to reshuffle his cabinet by the end of April, had postponed it due to "severe" drought in the state.

Karnataka is reeling under "worst" drought in recent times and the government has already declared 137 taluks as "drought hit".

The Chief Minister himself has embarked on a state-wide review tour to assess the situation.

He had earlier said he would go to New Delhi to discuss cabinet reshuffle, only after visiting drought-hit regions in the state, and the situation improves.

In October last, Siddaramaiah had expanded his ministry by inducting four members, including the state Pradesh Congress Committee chief G Parameshwara as Home Minister.

Pressure has been mounting on the Chief Minister for the cabinet reshuffle for some time now. A section of MLAs had even petitioned the party high command in this regard and had demanded dropping of "non-performers" from the cabinet.