BS Yediyurappa heads to Delhi, likely to seek Cabinet expansion nod

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa is scheduled to visit New Delhi on Sunday amid speculation that he will look to secure the BJP central leadership's nod to expand or reshuffle his Cabinet, a long-pending exercise.

The CM is likely to try meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda to discuss the Cabinet expansion. Yediyurappa had discussed this with BJP national general secretary in charge of Karnataka Arun Singh when he was in the state recently. If he gets the go-ahead, the Cabinet expansion may coincide with the festival of Sankranti.

However, Yediyurappa's official tour programme states that he will meet union ministers.

According to the chief minister's office, Yediyurappa will depart from Bengaluru at 8.20 am from the Kempegowda International Airport and reach New Delhi at 11.05 am. Yediyurappa has not fixed a schedule for his return.

There are seven berths vacant in the 34-member Cabinet and more than a dozen ministerial aspirants are waiting in the wings to be inducted and they have been mounting pressure on Yediyurappa. The CM has been passing the buck to the party high command saying that he will expand the Cabinet only after he gets permission from the top. Also, there is little clarity on whether Yediyurappa will go in for a reshuffle by dropping some incumbent ministers.