Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP) 

Bengaluru, May 7: There is likelihood of rejig of the state ministry immediately after the result of the Lok Sabha election is announced. As per information, two JD(S) ministers and three from the Congress may be asked to step down to pave way for the survival of the coalition government. It is said that even the departments allotted to key ministers like K J George, D K Shivakumar, M B Patil land Dr G Parameshwara may undergo changes.  

Reliable sources claim that this strategy is planned to be adopted by the JD(S)-Congress combine to save the government from collapsing in order to stymie the efforts being made by the BJP to engineer its downfall. 

Chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and Congress leader Siddaramaiah

As per the current calculations, four posts of ministers will be available now as two JD(S) quota seats are vacant, and another position has fallen vacant due to the demise C S Shivalli, who was a Congress minister. The coalition expects to get one more ministerial position held by Krishna Byregowda of the Congress to fall vacant, as it is confident that the minister will come out victorious in the Lok Sabha election he is fighting from the city (north) constituency.  

On the basis of the Lok Sabha election results, two ministers from the JD(S) and three from the Congress are likely to be ousted after assessing their contribution to the victory or defeat of the party candidates or for the reason of inaction.  Heads of ministers hailing from Mysuru, Tumakuru, Mandya and Chikkaballapur districts are likely to roll.  The posts which are likely to fall vacant may be offered to some MLAs who are likely to be enticed away by the BJP and those who are insistent on entering the state cabinet. It is said that in the recent parliamentary party meeting of the party, chief minister, Kumaraswamy, had dropped broad hints about this possibility. 

There are chances of supporters of former chief minister, Siddaramaiah, demanding to change the chief minister if the Lok Sabha result is unsatisfactory. They may propose to make a person from the Congress as the chief minister, and offer deputy chief minister's post to JD(S), it is said.  To stop this plan from fructifying, it is said that the chief minister has already drawn up a counter plan with the support of Dr G Parameshwara and D K Shivakumar, and begun effort to get some Congress legislators into confidence to block this move.  

State Congress in-charge, K C Venugopal, is likely to come to Karnataka on May 22, a day ahead of the Lok Sabha election result, and draw up strategy to fizzle out the efforts being made by the BJP to indulge in Operation Lotus and preempt the downfall of the government.