Karnataka Cabinet to Expand on Feb 6 as Yediyurappa Gears Up to Reward 10 Turncoats with Portfolios

Bangalore: The much awaited expansion of the Karnataka cabinet will take place on February 6 with chief minister B S Yediyurappa on Sunday saying that 13 MLAs would take oath of office.

The decision comes after Yediyurappa received the final nod from the top brass when he visited Delhi last week. He finalised the list after a meeting with BJP president JP Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday.

"10+3 ministers will be inducted at the Raj Bhavan at 10,30am. Ten will be the MLAs who won the recent bypoll," he told the press.

These ten are among the seventeen Congress-JDS MLAs who switched sides to the BJP leading to the fall of the previous coalition government. Three others would be senior leaders from the BJP.

The Karnataka chief minister received the nod from the BJP central leadership on January 31 for the expansion.

"I am sitting here today in this position because of them. I had given them my word. I will keep that word," he added.

By-election on December 5, 2019 was held to fifteen of the seventeen vacant seats after the turncoats were all disqualified. BJP had given tickets to thirteen of them of which eleven won.

All of them except one would be given cabinet berths. However, there would not be additional deputy chief ministers, Yediyurappa added.

R Shankar, who is among the 17 but had not been given a BJP ticket to contest would be made a minister too after he's made a MLC (Member of the Legislative Council).

AH Vishwanath and MTB Nagaraj, who lost polls will not be inducted.

"There's a legal hurdle in making them ministers," the CM said.

The total strength of the cabinet will be at 31 with this expansion against the sanctioned strength of 34. Three seats will remain vacant for now. These three seats could help quell dissent and disappointment from those whose name have been left out of the list. Also, by-election to two more seats are pending. AH Vishwanath, who jumped to the BJP from the JDS is already disappointed with the Chief Minister's decision to not include him.

"It is not a conversation between the two of us. He gave his word in front of the people of the state. But now be says it is because Supreme Court ruled that we can't be made ministers. That is not correct. Let him consult legal experts. To not give cabinet berth is another issue. But to say it is because law doesn't allow, that is not done," said Vishwanath.