The portfolio imbroglio in the ruling party is likely to end on Sunday, with the party leadership proposing a temporary arrangement.
It is understood that a proposal has been put forth by a senior leader that the porfolios held by 21 ministers in the Sadananda Gowda cabinet (who have been continued in the Shettar ministry) be retained. The portfolios held by Gowda in the previous ministry could be allotted to the new faces in the present Cabinet. This would be a temporary arrangement. A further reallocation of porfolios could be taken up after a month.
Intense lobbying for portfolios by ministers and the factions backing them has prevented Jagadish Shettar from allocating responsibilities to his 33 Cabinet colleagues, even three days after they were sworn in as ministers.
As per the proposal, Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa will be given Revenue and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj ministries, while R Ashoka will continue as Transport and Home minister.
Shettar will hold Finance besides Mines and Geology. Aravind Limbavali will be given Health, D N Jeevaraj will get Food and Civil Supplies, C T Ravi Higher Education, B J Puttaswamy Co-operation, Anand Singh Tourism, Kalakappa Bandi Women and Child Development, S K Belubbi Agriculture Marketing, Sunil Valyapure Infrastructure Development, Kota Srinivas Poojary Muzarai and S Shivanna Sericulture.
The proposal has got the stamp of approval of the central leadership. Discussions on the proposal will be held in Bangalore on Sunday, before a final announcement is made, sources said.
With the BJP core team, which met in Bangalore on Friday to discuss the allocation of portfolios, failing to arrive at any consensus, Jagadish Shettar and his deputy R Ashoka rushed to Delhi on Saturday evening, seeking the intervention of the central leadership.
They met party national president Nitin Gadkari and senior leader L K Advani. Though officially, the trip to the capital was described as a “courtesy call”, the real motive was to clear the logjam over the allocation of ministries.
When asked whether there were differences among the chief minister and his deputies over portfolio distribution, Shettar said, “There are no differences over portfolios and we are united.”
In Bangalore, the day began with Shettar holding discussions with Eshwarappa and Ashoka and former chief minister Sadananda Gowda. He was also in constant touch with Yeddyurappa.
Yeddyurappa is learnt to have reiterated his stand that the portfolios of the nine ministers from his camp (who had been continued from the Gowda cabinet) be retained.
For now...
* Jagadish Shettar: Finance, Mines and Geology
* K S Eshwarappa: Revenue, RDPR
* R Ashoka: Transport, Home
* Aravind Limbavali: Health
* D N Jeevaraj: Food and Civil Supplies
* C T Ravi: Higher Education
* B J Puttaswamy: Co-operation
* Anand Singh: Tourism
* Kalakappa Bandi: Women and Child
* S K Bellubbi:Agriculture Marketing
* Sunil Valyapure: Infrastructure
* Srinivas Poojary: Muzarai
* S Shivanna: Sericulture
* Appachu Ranjan: Youth Services & Sports