Ministerial aspirants continue lobbying as CM Yediyurappa plans Karnataka cabinet expansion
Bengaluru, Dec 31: With the much awaited expansion of the Karnataka cabinet slated some time in January, ministerial aspirants continued their lobbying by making a bee-line to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's residence here.
As Yediyurappa has already made it clear that 11 of the disqualified legislators who got re-elected on BJP ticket during the December 5 bypolls, will be made Ministers during the expansion, lobbying has intensified for the five remaining berths in the cabinet.
Currently there are 18 ministers including the Chief Minister in the cabinet that has a sanctioned strength is 34.
According to sources, among those who met the Chief Minister at his residence on Tuesday include former minister and senior legislator Umesh Katti, former minister R Shankar and defeated party candidate from Hoskote during the bypolls MTB Nagaraj.
Though there is a strong word within the party circles that Katti is most likely to be considered during the expansion, sources said, it needs to be seen how Yediyurappa will maintain a balance, as his addition would increase the number of Ministers from Belagavi district to four.
There are already two Ministers-Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi and Women and Child Development Minister Shashikala Jolle from Belagavi- in the cabinet while newly elected BJP MLA from Gokak Ramesh Jarkiholi, who has been promised a ministerial berth, also hails from the district.
Kitti, an eight-time MLA was among the prominent senior BJP legislators who were miffed and sulking after failing to make it in the first round of cabinet expansion.
Shankar, who has been promised a Cabinet berth by Yediyurappa through MLC route, met the Chief Minister with an intention to ascertain his chances, sources said.
While giving a BJP ticket to Arun Kumar Guthur from Ranebennur and denying it to Shankar, a disqualified legislator, Yediyurappa had promised a Ministerial position by him making a MLC.
With Deputy Chief Minister Savadi too being considered for a MLC post to ensure his continuation in the ministry, it has caused worry to Shankar.
Savadi, who is currently not a member of the assembly or the council, can continue as a minister for six months till February.
Though there are speculations that some sitting BJP MLCs may be asked to step down to make way for those being considered for ministerial berths, there is no clarity on it so far, sources added.
MTB Nagaraj, one of the disqualified legislators, whose resignation paved way for the Yediyurappa government to come to power, is also aspiring for a ministerial berth, despite facing defeat in the assembly bypolls from Hoskote.
With other disqualified legislators, who have now got elected as BJP MLAs too pushing for Nagaraj to be made a minister as "promised" earlier, it needs to be seen what Yediyurappa decides.
If the Chief Minister decides to induct Nagaraj, he too will become a contender for the MLC post, the sources said.
There is only one council position vacant for now following Congress' Rizwan Arshad's election asMLA during the bypolls.
Several other BJP old guards like Arvind Limbavali, K G Bopaiah, Basangouda Patil Yatnal, Renukacharya among others are keenly aspiring for ministerial berths.
Though Yediyurappa has indicated that cabinet expansion may take place some time after Sankranti, party sources say it may be delayed slightly, and things will depend on the Chief Minister's meeting with the party high command in New Delhi, which is yet to take place.
Meanwhile, according to reports, newly-elected BJP legislators who have been promised cabinet berths are likely to meet the Chief Minister soon with a request to induct them into the cabinet before the Assembly session from February 17.
New legislators want to have a clarity on expansion from Yediyurappa, as he is expected to be out of country next month to attend the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, sources said.
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England sticking with Key, McCullum and Stokes despite Ashes humbling
London (AP): England is not sacking anybody following the 4-1 Ashes loss in Australia.
A review of the tour by the England and Wales Cricket Board, announced within hours of the final match in January, was concluded on Monday. Firing people would “be the easy thing to do,” ECB chief executive Richard Gould said but he insisted, "This is not the time to throw everything out."
Managing director Rob Key, coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes kept their jobs after the best England side to go to Australia in 14 years lost the Ashes in 11 days with two games to spare.
“Moving people on can sometimes be the easy thing to do. That's not the route that we're going to take,” Gould said. “I've seen the driving ambition and determination that we're lucky enough to have within our leadership group to take the lessons from the Ashes and move forward.”
Gould previously was the chief executive of Bristol City soccer club and said the ECB would not follow the same route as soccer's hire-and-fire culture.
“Cricket is a very unique sport in that it takes a team of leadership ... it's not like football where there's a single point of failure or success with a manager," he said. He added the ECB would not “select or deselect management based on a popularity campaign.”
The main criticisms of England's tour were poor preparation, player misbehavior, and selection mistakes.
At a press conference at Lord's, Gould and Key said McCullum and Stokes have not had a “bust up,” they did not want McCullum to “completely change” but “to evolve,” the behavior of some players was “unprofessional,” there will be more consequences for underperforming, and a commitment to “better long-term planning” ahead of major test series.
Some changes were already implemented for the Twenty20 World Cup, where England reached the semifinals. Gould implied that performance saved McCullum.
Key acknowledged that England supporters would be disappointed to see the management team go unpunished.
“I know people want punishment and that people then should be sacked for that,” Key said. “That doesn't mean we don't feel like we've gone through some serious pain: Brendon, myself, Ben. It's been as tough a time as I think I've had.”
