Karnataka Cabinet expansion: CM B S Yediyurappa to visit Delhi, C T Ravi may quit

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Monday he will go to New Delhi to finalise the expansion of his Cabinet, which will make this his second visit to the national capital in less than a month’s time.

“There is no problem now. I will go to Delhi in the next three days. I will come back and expand the Cabinet,” Yediyurappa told reporters when asked if the exercise will happen at all now that the legislature session is over.

Earlier this month, Yediyurappa visited the national capital and held talks with BJP national president J P Nadda on Cabinet expansion. Yediyurappa was keen on expanding his Cabinet before September 21, when the legislature session was scheduled to start. However, Nadda did not give Yediyurappa a green signal and asked him to wait for further instructions.

Meanwhile, Tourism Minister C T Ravi, who has been elevated as the BJP national general secretary, is expected to resign in line with the “one person, one post” policy. This will leave Yediyurappa with seven vacant Cabinet berths with at least twice the number of ministerial aspirants.

“In line with the ‘one person, one post’ policy, I have told the party that my choice will be the organisation,” Ravi said. “Whenever they ask me to resign, I will.”

Yediyurappa is under pressure to accommodate MLCs M T B Nagaraj, R Shankar and H Vishwanath.

It is also said that the BJP central leadership favoured the induction of Nagaraj, Shankar and another MLC C P Yogeshwar. The CM had assured a berth to ‘disgruntled’ MLA Umesh Katti.