Bengaluru: Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa left for Delhi this morning to consult the Party High Command to take up the much-awaited Cabinet expansion/reshuffle in the wake of BJP’s victory in by-elections to Sira and R.R. Nagar Assembly segments recently.

According to sources, the CM chaired the State Cabinet at 10.30 am in Vidhana Soudha and then left for Delhi in special flight at 12.30 pm. He is expected to meet BJP National President J.P. Nadda, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Home Minister Amit Shah and others. So far, no appointment was available to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It is learnt that Yediyurappa had asked all the Ministers to compulsorily attend today’s Cabinet meeting without fail indicating that it will be the last meeting of a few Ministers who are likely to be dropped during the rejig in order to accommodate new faces in the Cabinet. 

Legislators from Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) who resigned and joined BJP last year and original BJP, have been waiting to join the Cabinet. 

Among them had been A.H. Vishwanath, M.T.B. Nagaraj, R. Shankar, N. Munirathna, Basangouda Patil Yatnal, Umesh Katti, Srinivasa Haladi, C.P. Yogeshwar and Arvind Limbavali. They were putting pressure on the CM to induct them into the Cabinet as promised at the time of embracing the saffron party. Already, the Minister-aspirant legislators are camping in Delhi to impress the high command for their induction into the Cabinet.

If everything goes as per schedule, the CM has plans to take up the Cabinet re-shuffle during this week. The CM has reportedly asked a few Ministers to be ready to resign to make way for face faces. 

C.T. Ravi has already resigned to his Minister post following his elevation as BJP National General Secretary. Muzrai Minister Kota Srinivasa Pujari may be asked to step down to make way for Srinivas Haladi under the Coastal region quota. After meeting national leaders, Yediyurappa is likely to return to Bengaluru by Thursday evening.