Bommai's Delhi visit triggers Cabinet expansion speculation

Bengaluru: The proposed visit of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to Delhi next Monday has triggered speculation over Cabinet expansion. Though the Chief Minister's office has denied that his visit will have anything to do with Cabinet expansion or reshuffle, the rumour mill in the BJP has made it the central theme.

The Chief Minister had earlier planned to leave for Delhi Thursday morning but postponed to February 7 on the request of State MPs.

"I had planned to go to Delhi tomorrow, for a meeting with Members of Parliament from the State there, but on the request of all our MPs I will go to Delhi on Monday," Bommai told reporters here On Wednesday, circles close to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai told Hans News Service that political rumour-mongering was rife in the State. The CM is going there to meet the MPs from the State and some Union ministers to discuss development of projects mentioned in the Budget. There is no clarity if he will meet party president JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, it is true that CM has sought an audience with the Prime minister.

In the meanwhile, the spark of cabinet reshuffle kindled by CM's media advisor Renukacharya and Basanagouda Patil Yathnal three weeks back has now raged like a wildfire. 24 MLAs from Old Mysore, Bayaluseema, North Karnataka districts and Eastern Karnataka have started lobbying for a berth in the ministry. Yathnal has gone to the extent of calling the entire Cabinet except the Chief Minister ineffective, they are not being taken seriously by the executive, as a result, all developmental works have come to a grinding halt. There is pressure mounting on the CM to expand or rejig his cabinet soon, amid talks in party circles that the exercise is likely, only after the Assembly elections in five states.

Citing Assembly polls in the state in 2023, several legislators including Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and M P Renukacharya have openly said that if cabinet exercise is delayed and carried out after election in five states, it will be too late for new ministers to make any mark, even in their own constituencies.

Recently some legislators have even been advocating Gujarat-like overhaul of the Karnataka Cabinet soon, to make way for new faces.

In September, the BJP completely overhauled the Gujarat's Council of Ministers by selecting new faces for the Bhupendra Patel government, with no minister from the previous Vijay Rupani-led ministry being inducted.

Bommai repeatedly stated that he was waiting for the BJP leadership's consent on going ahead with the cabinet exercise.

There are currently 30 ministers in the State Cabinet, including the Chief Minister, against the sanctioned strength of 34.