Siddaramaiah to expand ministry next week

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Aug 18 2017, DH News: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday announced the much awaited cabinet expansion and said three new ministers will join his council of ministers early next week.

The induction will fill up the vacant berths in the ministry and also result in reallocation of some key portfolios.

Siddaramaiah ruled out advancement of the assembly election due next year and said, “the polls will be held as per schedule.”

Before announcing the cabinet expansion, Siddaramaiah, along with Congress state unit president G Parameshwara, consulted Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and party president Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel.

The chief minister refused to divulge the names of the new entrants. He said the names would be announced once formally cleared by the party high command.

“I have submitted the list to the central leaders. Once they approve, the expansion will take place,” he said.

The likely dates for the expansion were either August 21 or 22, according to party sources.

The expansion, besides filling vacancies, is intended to achieve a better caste balance and give adequate representation to different sections ahead of the assembly polls next year, they said.

Reshuffle on cards
The CM was said to be keen on re-allocation of portfolios to rev up the performance of some departments in the run-up to the elections.

Among the names that figured during Thursday’s discussion between Siddaramaiah and Central leaders were Legislative Council members H M Revanna (Kuruba), R B Thimmapura (Dalit Left) and Tiptur MLA K Shadakshari (Lingayat).

Sources close to the CM told DH said Siddaramaiah intended to allocate the home portfolio to Forest and Environment Minister Ramanath Rai.

The CM has been managing the portfolio after Parameshwara resigned on June 2 to function full-time as Pradesh Congress Committee chief.

Before announcing the cabinet expansion, Siddaramaiah, along with Congress state unit president G Parameshwara, consulted Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and party president Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel.

The chief minister refused to disclose the names of the new entrants. He said the names would be announced once formally cleared by the party high command.
“I have submitted the list to the central leaders. Once they approve, the expansion will take place,” he said.

The likely dates for the expansion were either August 21 or 22, according to party sources.
The expansion, besides filling vacancies, is intended to achieve a better caste balance and give adequate representation to different sections ahead of the assembly polls next year, they said.

The CM was said to be keen on re-allocation of portfolios to rev up the performance of some departments in the run-up to the elections.

Among the names that figured during Thursday’s discussion between Siddaramaiah and Central leaders were MLCs H M Revanna (Kuruba), R B Timmapur (Dalit Left) and Tiptur MLA K Shadakshari (Lingayat). Sources close to the CM told DH said Siddaramaiah intended to allocate the home portfolio to Forest and Environment Minister B Ramanath Rai. The CM has been managing the portfolio after Parameshwara resigned on June 2 to function full-time as KPCC chief.

The Forest and Environment portfolio is likely be given to one of the newly inducted ministers.

The CM and Parameshwara also introduced to Rahul Gandhi the seven rebel Janata Dal (S) MLAs, who have been suspended by their party, and a former MLC. They are B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, N Cheluvarayaswamy, H C Balakrishna, Akhanda Srinivasamurthy, Iqbal Ansari, Ramesh Bandisiddegowda, Bheema Naik and former MLC Ramakrishna. They expressed their willingness to join the Congress “unconditionally.”

The CM said these leaders would be formally admitted to the Congress at a rally in Bengaluru in December or January.

“Rahul Gandhi promised to protect their interests,” Siddaramaiah said, but did not specify their “interests”.