The much-awaited expansion and reshuffle of the six month-old H D Kumaraswamy-led coalition government in Karnataka will be carried out on Saturday evening with the induction of eight new ministers.
Two ministers -- Ramesh Jarkiholi (Municipal Administration) and R Shankar (Forest and Environment) -- are likely to be dropped, official sources said.
The new ministers will be sworn in at 5.20 pm by Governor Vajubhai Vala at the Raj Bhavan.
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy met the Governor and sought his approval for the cabinet expansion.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Vala, the CM said "Eight ministers will take oath today. I met the Governor and submitted to him the list of the new ministers and also sought his approval for the same".
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A statement from the office of Congress Legislature Party Leader Siddaramaiah said Satish Jarkiholi, M B Patil, C S Shivalli, M T B Nagaraj, E Tukaram, P T Parameshwar Naik, Rahim Khan and R B Thimmapur will be inducted into the ministry.
Seven of the eight MLAs are from north Karnataka.
The press statement came a day after the names were cleared by Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
Gandhi, after meeting party General Secretary In-charge of Karnataka K C Venugopal, CLP leader Siddarmaiah, Pradesh Congress Chief Dinesh Gundu Rao and Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara gave the go-ahead on Friday night.
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Ramesh Jarkiholi, who has been allegedly hobnobbing with BJP leaders and not attending cabinet and party meetings, is being replaced by his brother Satish Jarkiholi.
Shankar is an Independent lawmaker who is reportedly facing the axe over his reluctance to be an associate member of the Congress.
Congress' coalition partner JD(S) will not be a part of this round of cabinet expansion and is likely to induct new ministers from its side post 'Sankranti', sources said.
Asked about the induction of new ministers from the JD(S), Kumaraswamy said, "You will get to know about it in the evening".
According to the pact between the two partners at the time of formation of the coalition government in May, there are now six vacant ministerial positions for Congress and two for JD(S).
This would be the second expansion of the ministry.
With the cabinet expansion exercise being deferred repeatedly, several aspirants, especially those from the Congress, had openly expressed their displeasure.
Despite reiteration by Congress leaders that the expansion would take place on the scheduled date (December 22), party MLAs were sceptical about it happening till the Lok Sabha polls early next year.
Some also cited 'Shoonya Masa', that is considered inauspicious, as the reason.
Along with the cabinet expansion, appointment of MLAs as heads to boards and corporations and parliamentary secretaries to ministers would also be made Saturday, the sources said.
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Congress leaders V Muniappa will be the political secretary to the chief minister and Ajay Singh, the state representative in the national capital, the sources said, adding that Sharanabasappa Darshanapur has been nominated as the deputy chairman of the state planning commission.
Meanwhile, discontent seems to be simmering in the Congress, with some senior aspirants not being considered for the ministerial berth.
Sowmya Reddy (MLA), daughter of senior Congress MLA and former minister Ramalinga Reddy, expressed resentment over her father not being considered for the post, pointing out his contribution for the party's growth in Bengaluru city.
She also declined to accept the Parliamentary Secretary post offered to her.
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Another aspirant and Hirekerur MLA B C Patil is also unhappy over not being considered for any ministerial post. His supporters even staged a protest in his constituency.
"I don't know the reason, but I have not got (ministerial post) this time also," he said, adding that he had believed in Siddaramaiah, who he said is also his "political guru".
Pointing to the lack of representation to Haveri district, the actor-turned-politician said some districts like Vijayapura, that already had two ministers, have now got a third in M B Patil from the Lingayat community.
Asked about his next course of action, Patil said, "I will follow the directions of my karyakartas and work for the development of my constituency".
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Another Congress MLA B K Sangamesh from Bhadravathi, noted that he was the lone party legislator from Shivamogga district, the stronghold of BJP president B S Yeddyurappa and said Siddaramaiah had promised to make him a minister.
He said he would decide his further course of action after discussions with party workers and resign if they they asked him to do so.
Hagaribommanahalli MLA Bheema Naik has hit out at the party leadership for giving chance to Parameshwar Naik and neglecting him.
PTI
