Amid the series of developments threatening to challenge the law and order situation in the state, the ruling BJP party is all set for a cabinet rejig in Karnataka.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who is reaching New Delhi on Tuesday, is expected to take final instructions from the high command. The aspirants for cabinet positions from the state have also reached the national capital to rally support for space in the cabinet.
According to sources in the BJP, the party is contemplating filling four vacant cabinet berths as well as dropping more than five cabinet ministers to make way for new faces as well as putting the ruling party in an advantageous position for the upcoming Assembly elections in 2023.
Though the prime agenda of Bommai's meeting is to discuss obtaining clearance for the Mekedatu project, getting a green signal for the cabinet reshuffle or expansion is another important matter. Sources in the party said that the party is thinking of dropping more than five sitting ministers to make way for more than 10 new faces.
The decision on the cabinet berth to B.Y. Vijayendra, son of former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa will be made. The party will have to take a call on the issue as the support of BJP strongman Yediyurappa is much needed for the party during the upcoming elections. As investigations have reopened against Yediyurappa in land de-notification recently, the move of the party in this regard has aroused a lot of curiosity.
Meanwhile, former minister Ramesh Jarakiholi, who has got a clean chit in the alleged sex CD case by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has intensified lobbying for re-entering cabinet. Providing his mass appeal to the backward classes and considering his efforts to bring the BJP to power in the state, the ruling party is seriously considering giving him a cabinet berth.
The party is also keen to accommodate former minister C.P. Yogeshwar to the cabinet. Yogeshwar, who caught the wrath of Yediyurappa for running a campaign against him, was dropped from the cabinet when Bommai took charge as the Chief Minister. The party is considering his candidature to strengthen its roots in south Karnataka. Yogeshwar has been challenging the dominance of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda's family on one hand and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar on the other hand in the region.
The party is contemplating dropping non-performing senior cabinet ministers and handing them over organisational responsibilities. (AS/IANS)
Keywords: BJP, Karnataka, Politics, Cabinet, Upcoming elections, Law and Order.