Veerashaiva Mahasabha writes to Kumaraswamy for cabinet ministerial berth

All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha on Monday wrote to Karnataka Chief Minister-designate HD Kumaraswamy requesting him to appoint their national president Shamanur Shivashankarappa as the Home Minister of the state.

They also demanded that five other leaders from the community be made ministers in the cabinet.

On a related note, Chief Minister-elect H.D. Kumaraswamy on Saturday was invited by Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala to form the government in Karnataka, after Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) B.S. Yeddyurappa stepped down ahead of the floor test in the state assembly.

The Congress, which emerged as the second largest party after recently-held Karnataka state assembly elections, is stitching up an alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular) to form a government in the state.

While Kumaraswamy was earlier expected to swear-in as Karnataka Chief Minister on Monday, the ceremony later got pushed to Wednesday due to the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.