Karnataka CM mulls ministry expansion
Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, who is facing discontent from a section of his party MLAs, is contemplating inducting one of them into his ministry.
Sources close to Yeddyurappa said he summoned a group of MLAs, who have been demanding ministry restructuring, and appointment of some of them as heads of state-owned boards and corporations and promised to consider their demands.
A section of MLAs led by Honnali legislator M P Renukacharya recently held a meeting and expressed their dissatisfaction over delay in ministry restructuring.
The group also told Yeddyurappa that they would resign their assembly membership if their demand was not met, sources said. Yeddyurappa since Tuesday has been involved in formal talks with some of his ministerial colleagues to ensure that the discontent does not turn into a crisis.
The chief minister had recently managed to weather a political storm following a revolt by a section of legislators led by Tourism Minister Janardhana Redddy. The crisis, however, was defused by the party central leadership with Yeddyurappa agreeing to a compromise formula with the dissidents.
The sources, however, could not indicate whether the ministry expansion would take place before the legislature session resumes sitting on December 21 or at a later date.
