Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Nov 18: Chief minister B S Yediyurappa, is scheduled to fly to Delhi on Wednesday November 18 to hold consultations about the process of cabinet expansion or rejig. Yediyurappa, it is said, wants to drop a few ministers and take in some others. But analysts say that Yediyurappa may be able to meet Amit Shah and others but he may get the nod only for the ministry expansion as of now.

Yediyurappa is scheduled to leave from the HAL airport at 11.30 am today by a special aircraft. He will meet a number of central ministers and hand over petitions on behalf of the state government. He is scheduled to return the same evening. Chances of meeting the Prime Minister are remote. In the temporary itinerary issued by his office, the proposal of meeting union home minister Amit Shah, and national president of the BJP J P Nadda, have not been mentioned.

The chief minister had flown to Delhi on September 17 from Kalaburagi and stayed there for three days in an attempt to get permission for ministry expansion but a consensus remained elusive. It is said that he wants to increase the vacancies to 12 from the existing seven by dropping five ministers, and fill ten seats. The chief minister wants to give ministerial positions to M T B Nagaraj, R Shankar and three other people of his choice. He will leave the remaining five seats to the persons chosen by the national leaders. Two vacant seats are proposed to be left unfilled, to be filled after the bypoll to Basavakalyan assembly seat. He is also interested to hold swearing in ceremony on Friday if possible, as per information.