Karnataka politics: Cabinet aspirants head to Delhi

With Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa looking to expand his Cabinet, BJP MLCs A H Vishwanath and R Shankar are said to have travelled to Delhi to secure their Cabinet berths.

They were among the 17 MLAs who had switched from the Congress-JD(S) coalition government to the BJP after being apparently assured of a Cabinet berth. The two, along with MLC M T B Nagaraj and RR Nagar BJP candidate Muniratna, are yet to be inducted into the Cabinet.

Following Yediyurappa's announcement that Cabinet expansion will take place after by-poll results are announced on November 10, several aspirants are making efforts to be part of the Cabinet. The disgruntlement within the party had spilled out in the open in August this year.

Vishwanath and Nagaraj had lost in the 2019 bypolls, while Shankar was denied ticket from Ranebennur. All the three were subsequently nominated as MLCs by the Yediyurappa administration.

If Yediyurappa has his way, Shankar, Nagaraj and Muniratna will make it to the Cabinet. Sources said that there have been reservations over the induction of Vishwanath, as he had contested the bypolls in 2019 going against the advice of the BJP leadership. He is learnt to have travelled to Kolkata from Delhi.

The list of aspirants vying for Cabinet berths include eight-time legislator Umesh Katti, MLAs Murugesh Nirani and Raju Gowda, MLC C P Yogeeshwar among others.

Meanwhile, the governor accepted the resignation of Kannada and Culture minister C T Ravi, which was notified by the government late on Friday evening.