Cabinet expansion likely after December 20 or 22: BS Yediyurappa
Bengaluru, Dec 13: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday said the ministry expansion was likely to take place after December 20 or 22 after discussions with the party high command.
"It maybe late by eight to 10 days. We will expand the cabinet and those promised will be inducted into the Ministry there is no confusion on that," Yediyurappa told reporters here.
Yediyurappa said he has been asked to go to Delhi after a week to discuss the expansion exercise as BJP National President Amit Shah was busy with the Jharkhand assembly polls and other matters.
"I have already spoken to him. The cabinet expansion will be done after December 20 or 22," he added.
After his government retained the majority in Assembly by sweeping the December 5 bypolls, Yediyurappa had recently said that he would soon leave for Delhi to hold discussions with the BJP central leadership on cabinet expansion.
The ruling BJP had swept the by-elections, winning 12 of the total of 15 seats, helping the four-month-old Yediyurappa government retain majority in the Assembly.
However, there is talk within BJP circles that Ministry expansion may get further delayed as Dhanurmasa (considered an inauspicious month among Hindus) will begin on December 16 and will end with Makar Sankranti in the third week of January.
Meanwhile, lobbying has intensified for ministerial berths, by both BJP old guard and new entrants.
Yediyurappa has made it clear that 11 disqualified MLAs (of the total 13 fielded by BJP) who successfully contested the bypolls on party tickets, will be made Ministers.
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 the 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 currently has 18 ministers, including the Chief Minister and the sanctioned strength is 34.
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Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM strong room, warns against counting irregularities
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee early Friday warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after she visited an EVM strong room in Bhabanipur, alleging possible malpractice.
Banerjee, who emerged around 12:07 am after spending nearly four hours at the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed in Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata, said only one person would be allowed inside the designated counting area.
"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter."
Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting, she added, "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
On Thursday evening, Banerjee had reached the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, which houses the strong room for EVMs used in the April 29 polling, citing suspicion of tampering with the machines.
She entered the premises along with her election agent and remained inside for hours, even as Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate from the Kolkata Port segment Firhad Hakim reached the spot but could not meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn’t meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn’t allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
The development coincided with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkata, where they staged a sit-in alleging irregularities and possible tampering of EVMs stored in strong rooms, leading to face-offs between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in a video message, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging that the BJP could attempt to tamper with the machines before counting begins.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tension in the state following a fiercely contested Assembly election, with parties closely monitoring arrangements and raising concerns over transparency.
