Karnataka: Vishwanath, Yogeshwar among five MLC nominees

Karnataka Governor Vajubhai R Vala on Wednesday nominated former ministers AH Vishwanath, CP Yogeshwar and three others to the Legislative Council.

BJP’s women wing president Bharathi Shetty, academic Talwar Sabanna and social activist Shantharama Budna Siddi have been nominated to the upper house.

This is expected to placate Vishwanath and Yogeshwar, both ministerial aspirants who were sulking. While Vishwanath was one of the 17 rebels who helped BJP come to power, Yogeshwar played a key role in engineering the defections.

The nominations come even as speculation is rife that Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa might expand his Cabinet in August. Yediyurappa has six Cabinet berths vacant. Vishwanath and Yogeshwar are now expected to mount pressure to be inducted as ministers along with two other rebels - MTB Nagaraj and R Shankar, who were also recently elected to the Legislative Council.