Tough task ahead for BS Yediyurappa as he works on Cabinet expansion
Bengaluru, Dec 10: As Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa prepares for cabinet expansion after his four month old government retained a majority in the Karnataka assembly by sweeping the bypolls, developments on Tuesday indicated that he has a tough task ahead.
The ruling BJP on Monday had swept the by-elections, winning 12 of the total of 15 seats.
Yediyurappa on Tuesday said he would soon hold discussions with the central leadership on cabinet expansion.
"In another three to four days I will go to Delhi to meet Amit Shah (BJP National President) and Prime Minister (Narendra Modi), when they decide we will do it (Cabinet expansion)," Yediyurappa said here.
"As I had given an assurance that those who had resigned and came out of (Congress and JD(S)) and won the bypolls..making them Ministers is our responsibility, I have accepted it and will execute it hundred per cent," he told reporters.
Eleven of the 13 disqualified legislators,who successfully contested the bypolls on BJP tickets, are expected to become Ministers soon.
However, cabinet expansion will not be an easy task as Yediyurappa will have to strike a balance by accommodating the victorious disqualified legislators as he had promised and also make place for old guards, upset at being "neglected" in the first round of the induction exercise.
He also has to give adequate representation to various castes and regions in his cabinet that already has eight Lingayats, including the CM, three Vokkaligas, three from Scheduled Caste, two OBCs, one Scheduled Tribe and a Brahmin.
Region-wise,Bengaluru Urban, with four Ministers and Belagavi and Shivamogga, with two each, have a larger share in the Ministry.
Including the Chief Minister, there are currently 18 ministers in the cabinet, whose sanctioned strength is 34.
With indications about cabinet expansions on the cards, several ministerial aspirants, both old and newly-elected,have met Chief Minister to push their case, party sources said.
A few senior BJP leaders like Umesh Katti (eight time MLA) and Thippareddy (six- time MLA) who were not accommodated in the first round, are among the front-runners for berths.
In fact, Thippareddy supporters in Chitradurga staged a demonstration, demanding that he be made a Minister.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Yediyurappa, K C Narayana Gowda,newly elected BJP MLA from K R Pete,who ensured the first ever victory for the party in the Vokkaliga bastion of Mandya district said, "Whatever the Chief Minister gives, I will accept it. I have not made any demand."
There are also demands from supporters of disqualified legislators who had contested the bypolls on the BJP ticket and lost- A H Vishwanath (Hunasuru) and MTB Nagaraj (Hosakote)- to make them Ministers.
Not willing to respond to a question on this,Yediyurappa said "I don't want to talk about them (to media), I will talk to them personally."
Recently there was speculation in BJP circles that all disqualified legislators who contested the bypolls on the party ticket would be made Ministers, irrespective of whether they won or not and MLC option was being considered to make them ministers.
However, some senior party leaders are said to be opposed to this idea.
Meanwhile, disqualified legislators who were elected as BJP MLAs maintained that all disqualified legislators, whether they won or lost, were united and would meet soon.
"MTB Nagaraj and Vishwanth lost due to various reasons.
There is no question of leaving them alone. All of us (who were disqualified) are together, we will call and talk to them.
We are all one, whether we have won or lost," newly elected BJP MLA from Yeshwanthpura, S T Somashekar said.
Alleging that injustice has been meted out to Nagaraj and Vishwanath, newly elected Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, without divulging more details,said "we will try to rectify it,I don't want to talk more about it. On certain things I cannot talk."
He also said that all the disqualified legislators would meet soon and hold discussions.
Allocating plum portfolios will be another hard task that Yediyurappa will have to tackle with and strike a balance between old and the new BJP MLAs.
Newly elected K R Puram MLA Byrathi Basavaraj on Tuesday told reporters he has sought the plum Bengaluru Development Ministry, from the Chief Minister, a department which several senior BJP Ministers have set their eyes on.
"CM had said that I will be given Ministerial post.I asked for Bengaluru Development related Ministry as I have experience on city affairs.I have also given a few alternative portfolios. Let's see what Chief Minister decides," he said.
On Tuesday,Yediyurappa also took up the task of pacifying Nagaraj who was defeated in Hosakote and is upset over BJP MP B N Bachegowda allegedly working against him in the bypolls.
Nagaraj, who met Yediyurappa, reportedly complained against Bachegowda, whose son Sharath Bachegowda won as an independent from Hoskote against him
He accused the MP of working in favour of his son instead of the party's official candidate, leading to his defeat.
Later in the day, Yediyurappa also visited Naragarj's residence and said he will talk to the party leadership about giving a "suitable position" to him.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
