The 13-month-old H D Kumaraswamy regime will see its second Cabinet expansion on Friday aimed at ensuring the longevity of the Congress-JD(S) coalition.
While it is almost certain that two Independent legislators — R Shankar (Ranebennur) and H Nagesh (Mulbagal) — will be inducted, there is confusion in the JD(S) camp on who should get the third berth. Though JD(S) MLC and businessman B M Farooq’s name is making the rounds, the party had not finalised his name till late on Thursday evening.
Three Cabinet positions are vacant — one under the Congress’ quota and two under the JD(S). It is said that inducting the two independent legislators will help Kumaraswamy ensure they do not support the BJP. Shankar, who is a Karnataka Pragnavantha Janatha Party (KPJP) MLA, has been asked to merge his outfit with the Congress.
There are several ministerial aspirants in the regional party. It is said that JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda wants to induct Farooq into the Cabinet. This gained credence after JD(S) state president A H Vishwanath publicly asked Kumaraswamy to induct a Muslim.
There is also speculation that Vishwanath himself may be accommodated. The regional party may also toy with the idea of inducting Basavaraj Horatti (Lingayat) or H K Kumaraswamy (Dalit). These are all communities the JD(S) is banking on to strengthen its support base.
It is also said that Kumaraswamy may choose to keep one berth vacant for any exigency in the future. If Kumaraswamy has his way, the Congress will not be able to induct any of its legislators in this round of Cabinet expansion.