Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa will expand his Cabinet on Tuesday, with BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday approving the list of legislators to be included in the Council of Ministers.
The chief minister, who met Shah here on Saturday evening, held a detailed discussion on the expansion of his Cabinet.
“The Cabinet expansion will be held on Tuesday afternoon. The chief minister will chair the BJP legislature party meeting at the Vidhana Soudha the same morning,” said a statement from the chief minister’s office. However, the names of legislators to be inducted in the Council of Ministers was not disclosed.
Though it was not clear how many members will be inducted into the Council of Ministers, sources said that for now, it would be around 12 to 15.
However, the BJP has also decided to keep around 15 slots vacant for the disqualified MLAs. “Among the 17 disqualified MLAs, some of them may be inducted based on the outcome of the Supreme Court judgement, where all of them have appealed against their disqualification,” sources said.
“There will be no deputy chief minister’s post. In the expansion, the party will give preference to loyalty, experience and young faces. As part of the party’s strategy to expand its base in south Karnataka, it may induct more leaders from that region,” sources said.
On Friday, BJP national General Secretary B L Santosh and Yediyurappa finalised the list and submitted it to working president J P Nadda.
