Karnataka CM Yediyurappa expands Cabinet, inducts 10 ministers

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Feb 06, 2020:   Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday expanded his six-month-old Cabinet with the induction of ten Ministers.

Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath to the 10 MLAs – S T Somashekar, Ramesh Jarkiholi, Anand Singh, K Sudhakar, Byrathi Basavaraj, Shivram Hebbar, B C Patil, K Gopalaiah, K C Narayana Gowda and Shrimant Patil after switching the parties they had earlier represented had won the recent by-elections under BJP banner.

Among the 11 newly elected party hopper MLAs, all except Mahesh Kumathalli were sworn in as ministers.

The expansion comes after the BJP’s central leadership gave Yediyurappa a free hand to induct the turncoat MLAs.

The Chief Minister’s plan to induct three senior loyal BJP members in the Cabinet was thwarted in the eleventh hour as there were too many aspirants.

The decision to induct only the rebel MLAs in the Cabinet has not gone down well within the BJP as its senior members and ministerial aspirants were unhappy.

Yediyurappa said, “The central leadership of the party has directed me to induct only 10 newly elected MLAs. They have asked me to go Delhi to discuss the induction of others later.”