Bengaluru: If all goes as per plans, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy will expand his Ministry on Sunday, June 17. At least three to four Congress leaders are expected to be inducted. On June 6, he had inducted 25 Ministers (15 from the Congress and 10 from JD(S)).
As per the power-sharing formula, the Congress had 22 Ministerial berths, including that of Deputy Chief Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara, while the JD(S) got 12, including the CM. The Congress still can induct six members while the JD(S) is left with just one slot in the Cabinet.
Under pressure from senior party legislators, who have raised a banner of revolt for being kept out of the Cabinet, the Congress decided to go for an early expansion, sources said. Former Minister M.B. Patil, who had become a rallying point for a group of disgruntled MLAs, is set to get a Cabinet berth. He had recently met Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi’s Political Secretary Ahmed Patel.
Though Rahul denied him a Deputy CM’s post, Patil is assured a Ministerial berth, sources said.
Besides Patil, at least three former Ministers are likely to make it this time sources said. Names of Ramalinga Reddy, Satish Jarakiholi, H.K. Patil, R. Roshan Baig, Tanveer Sait, Shamanur Shivashankarappa and M. Krishnappa are said to be in the contention. The party, however, has decided to keep two slots open for the time being.
This post was published on June 14, 2018 6:42 pm