Only by-poll winners to be made Ministers, Cabinet expansion by month-end: CM Yediyurappa
Bengaluru, Dec 17: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday made it clear that only those MLAs who won the recent by-polls will be made ministers and no one else.
With cabinet expansion on the cards ever since the BJP secured a comfortable majority in the Assembly by winning 12 of the 15 constituencies which went to byelections on December five, hectic lobbying has started for ministerial berths.
Many aspirants have made a beeline for the Chief Minister, seeking to push their case.
The minister for health and family welfare B Sriramulu is keen to get the post of Deputy Chief Minister.
"We have already said that those who have won the recent assembly byelections will be made ministers.
There is no question of making others ministers," Yediyurappa told reporters here.
"I will go to Delhi after December 21 or 22 and get the matter (cabinet expansion) resolved.
The oath-taking (by the new ministers) will take place by the end of the month," the Chief Minister added.
The Karnataka government can have 34 ministers, including Chief Minister, of which 18 have been filled.
MLAs G Somashekar Reddy, Murugesh Nirani, Umesh Katti, Ramesh Jarkiholi and deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi met Yediyurappa on Tuesday and are believed to have discussed cabinet expansion.
BJP sources said Jarkiholi had put forth his demand to make him Deputy Chief Minister with the plum Water Resources portfolio.
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BJP will form govt in Bengal with thumping majority: Nabin
Mirzapur (UP) (PTI): BJP president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday voiced confidence that his party will form the government in West Bengal with a "thumping majority".
Polling is underway for 142 constituencies in the second and final phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, covering key districts, including Kolkata, Howrah and North and South 24 Parganas.
The high-stakes contest is being seen as decisive for the ruling TMC's bid for a fourth consecutive term and the BJP's push to form its first government in the state. The first phase held on April 23 recorded a high voter turnout of over 93 per cent, reflecting intense electoral engagement.
Speaking to reporters in Mirzapur, Nabin said, "The BJP will form the government in Bengal. We are winning the elections with a massive majority."
Earlier in the day, the BJP chief visited the Vindhyavasini temple and offered prayers. The rituals were conducted by his priest Acharya Agastya Kumar Dwivedi.
On his first visit to the district after assuming office, Nabin was welcomed by party workers at several places. At the temple, he was received by city MLA Ratnakar Mishra and District Magistrate Pawan Kumar Gangwar, who felicitated him with a traditional 'angvastram'.
After offering prayers for about 10 minutes amid Vedic chants, Nabin held a meeting at a hotel with local MLAs, including Mishra, Majhwan MLA Suchismita Maurya and Madihan MLA Ramashankar Patel.
Patel said Nabin emphasised strengthening the organisation and asked public representatives to focus on serving people in their respective constituencies.
Several party leaders, including district president Lal Bahadur Saroj, district vice-president Gaurav Umar, municipal chairperson Shyam Sundar Kesari, women workers and senior officials, were present on the occasion.
Elaborate security arrangements were put in place by the district administration for the visit, with multiple officers of circle officer rank deployed, officials said.
