BENGALURU: Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, who had been to New Delhi to seek the BJP high command's nod to expand his nine-month-old cabinet, will likely carry out the exercise only after national president JP Nadda visits the state in the third week of April for a party event.
The chief minister, accompanied by cabinet colleague Govind Karjol, met Nadda and explained to him the need to accommodate new faces at the earliest.
Nadda said he would discuss the issue when he attends the party's state executive committee meeting in Vijayanagara district's Hospet taluk on April 16 and 17.
"We had a brief discussion on the cabinet expansion. The party leadership has obtained all the information," Bommai said in Delhi before leaving for Bengaluru on Thursday morning.The CM's attempts to meet Union health minister Amit Shah did nto fructify as he was preoccupied in Parliament.
BJP national leaders are reportedly in faovur of holding extensive discussions before effecting the cabinet expansion. The party top brass wants to complete the exercise without giving any room for discontent ahead of the assembly elections. Nadda conveyed the same to the CM on Wednesday evening.
The CM said Nadda instructed all party functionaries to focus on preparations for the assembly elections due in May 2023.
The development has left ministerial aspirants disappointed as the government has just one year to complete its term. "We hoped the CM will win the nod to fill at least four vacancies. We've to wait longer," said an MLA waiting in the wings for one year.
Several legislators, including Ramesh Jarkiholi, R Shankar and CP Yogeshwara, were camping in Delhi over the past few days to lobby for cabinet berths.
On his return to Bengaluru, the CM called his Delhi visit ‘successful' as he could meet a host of Union ministers handling Jal Shakti, energy, environment, finance and defence. "I received positive response on the state's proposals," he said, adding he was happy that he got an opportunity to participate in the party's Foundation Day celebrations.
