Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday expanded his Cabinet with the induction of 17 ministers but minutes after the swearing in ceremony, several legislators openly expressed their discontent, saying that he had ignored them.
The party’s central leadership released the Cabinet list on Tuesday morning. The list of ministers clearly indicates that the Central leadership has a tight grip on the State level functioning and has gone for a blend of seniors and new faces.
Strains of dissent
Soon after the Cabinet list was out there were strains of dissent emerging with Chitradurga MLA GH Thippa Reddy, MP Renukacharya, Goolihatti Shekhar, and S Angara, openly airing their sentiments.
The exclusion of influential MLAs from Belagavi Umesh Katti and Balachandra Jarakiholi has raised eyebrows.
New Cabinet
The Lingayat community has got as many as seven ministers in the Cabinet. The Vokkaligas and the Scheduled Caste have got three each, while Scheduled Tribe, Kuruba, Brahmin and Mogaveera communities have got one berth each.
Four ministers are from the Bengaluru region, thereby giving a fairly large representation to the city.
However, a majority of the old Mysuru districts, which is a stronghold of former Congress chief minister Siddaramaiah has gone unrepresented in the Cabinet. The BJP has left 17 Cabinet berths vacant possibly to accommodate rebels among its ranks, and also the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs who were disqualified by the previous Speaker.
Their case is pending in the Supreme Court. The list of newly inducted ministers include B Sriramulu, a close associate of former mining baron G Janardhan Reddy; former deputy chief ministers KS Eshwarappa and R Ashoka; former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, Govind Makthappa Karajol, CN Ashwathnarayan, Laxman Sangappa Savadi, S Suresh Kumar, V Somanna, CT Ravi, Basavaraj Bommai, Kota Srinivas Poojari, JC Madhu Swamy, CC Patil, H Nagesh, Prabhu Chavan, and Jollle Shashikala Annasaheb.
The party has rewarded with a ministerial berth to Ashwathnarayan and Laxman Savadi, who are learnt to have played a key role in wooing MLAs from the Congress and the JD(S) alliance that was previously in power.