Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, May 26: The state government headed by H D Kumaraswamy, which succeeded in winning the trust vote, has backtracked from its earlier decision to affect ministry expansion on May 28. It is said that the government is apprehensive of the adverse impact the expansion might have on the assembly election being held for Rajarajeshwari constituency here on May 28, as well as worry over possible revolt by aspirants who fail to get ministerial berth.
It had been decided that Congress leaders would fly to New Delhi immediately after the alliance headed by Kumaraswamy won trust vote in the floor of the state assembly. It is said that immediately after the session ended, leaders of both the parties met at the residence of Siddaramaiah, and after detailed discussions, decided to wait till the assembly election from Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency concludes, before taking up the exercise of ministry expansion.
Dr G Parameshwar and H D Kumaraswamy
Chief minister, H D Kumaraswamy, deputy chief minister, Dr G Parameshwar, Siddaramaiah, state in-charge of Congress affairs, K C Venugopal, and JD(S) national chief general secretary, Danish Ali, took part in the said meeting. The leaders took note of the pressure being brought by a number of people for being included in the state ministry and that all of them cannot be accommodated. If the list of ministers is finalized now, it was thought that it might adversely affect the chances of the coalition in the election from Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency. Sources said that a decision to take all the leaders into confidence before taking up the exercise sometime next week was arrived at.
JD(S) and Congress have agreed to share the ministerial berths in the ratio of 12:22. In the case of Congress, the high command will prepare the list. For finalizing the list, Siddaramaiah, Parameshwar and a few state Congress leaders may fly to New Delhi on Monday or Tuesday but the expansion will happen only after the above election, sources added.
It is said that Congress has decided to induct four Lingayats and four Vokkaligas as ministers. Compared to Congress, the situation in JD(S) is comfortable as Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy are the decision makers there.
In the meanwhile, D K Shivakumar, who is angry that he was not made the deputy chief minister, stayed away from all kinds of exercises including discussions about formation of ministry, it is said. He had also come late to the Congress legislature party meeting held on Friday.