On the eve of Cabinet expansion, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to have taken a step back and decided to induct only 10 newly elected party-hopper MLAs and not anyone from among the party’s old-timers.
Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa had earlier said 13 leaders would be inducted, including three party old-timers. The decision to induct the 10 MLAs was taken to contain growing dissidence within the party as lobbying to secure Cabinet berths intensified among old-timers and it “threatened to go out of hand”, said party insiders.
Of the 11 newly elected party-hopper MLAs, all except Mahesh Kumathalli, who won from Athani, will be sworn in as Ministers at Raj Bhavan on Thursday at 10.30 a.m. Mr. Yediyurappa, who announced the decision late on Wednesday evening, repeatedly said senior leader Umesh Katti, who was expected to be inducted, would “definitely be made a Minister” later.
Sources said Mr. Katti was unhappy at the turn of events and had registered his protest. When asked about Mr. Kumathalli’s exclusion, the Chief Minister said it had become difficult to accommodate him in the Cabinet and promised to give him “another big responsibility”.
“The central leadership of the party has directed me to induct only 10 newly elected MLAs on Thursday. They have asked me to go to Delhi to discuss the induction of others later,” the Chief Minister said.
