As Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa prepares for cabinet expansion after his four month old government retained a majority in the Karnataka assembly by sweeping the bypolls, developments on Tuesday indicated that he has a tough task ahead.
The ruling BJP on Monday had swept the by-elections, winning 12 of the total of 15 seats.
Yediyurappa on Tuesday said he would soon hold discussions with the central leadership on cabinet expansion.
"In another three to four days I will go to Delhi to meet Amit Shah (BJP National President) and Prime Minister (Narendra Modi), when they decide we will do it (Cabinet expansion)," Yediyurappa said here.
"As I had given an assurance that those who had resigned and came out of (Congress and JD(S)) and won the bypolls.. making them Ministers is our responsibility, I have accepted it and will execute it hundred per cent," he told reporters.
Eleven of the 13 disqualified legislators,who successfully contested the bypolls on BJP tickets, are expected to become Ministers soon.
However, cabinet expansion will not be an easy task as Yediyurappa will have to strike a balance by accommodating the victorious disqualified legislators as he had promised and also make place for old guards, upset at being "neglected" in the first round of the induction exercise.
He also has to give adequate representation to various castes and regions in his cabinet that already has eight Lingayats, including the CM, three Vokkaligas, three from Scheduled Caste, two OBCs, one Scheduled Tribe and a Brahmin.
Region-wise,Bengaluru Urban, with four Ministers and Belagavi and Shivamogga,with two each, have a larger share in the Ministry.
Including the Chief Minister, there are currently 18 ministers in the cabinet, whose sanctioned strength is 34.
With indications about cabinet expansions on the cards, several ministerial aspirants, both old and newly-elected,have met Chief Minister to push their case, party sources said.
A few senior BJP leaders like Umesh Katti (eight time MLA) and Thippareddy (six- time MLA) who were not accommodated in the first round, are among the front-runners for berths.
In fact, Thippareddy supporters in Chitradurga staged a demonstration, demanding that he be made a Minister.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Yediyurappa, K C Narayana Gowda,newly elected BJP MLA from K R Pete,who ensured the first ever victory for the party in the Vokkaliga bastion of Mandya district said, "Whatever the Chief Minister gives, I will accept it. I have not made any demand."
Not willing to respond to a question on this,Yediyurappa said "I don't want to talk about them (to media), I will talk to them personally."
Alleging that injustice has been meted out to Nagaraj and Vishwanath, newly elected Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, without divulging more details,said "we will try to rectify it,I don't want to talk more about it. On certain things I cannot talk."
Nagaraj, who met Yediyurappa, reportedly complained against Bachegowda, whose son Sharath Bachegowda won as an independent from Hoskote against him
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