BMIC row aside, K'taka to expand Cabinet

The five-month-old Karnataka Development Front (KDF) government will undertake its first major Cabinet expansion on Wednesday unmindful of the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) row that almost split the coalition set up on taking over the project.

"Too many people made predictions on the government... We are determined to expand the cabinet by inducting members from both coalition partners, JD(S) and BJP," chief minister H D Kumaraswamy told reporters here on Tuesday.

In an oblique reference to the BMIC row, the CM said: "The cabinet expansion is a testimony to the fact that we are here to continue governance. No matter whatever is in our way, we will find a solution."

He said that the list of ministers to be inducted into the cabinet will be finalised by tonight. In the present 22-member ministry, JD(S) has 10 and BJP 12. As many as 12 ministerial berths in the cabinet are yet to be filled. The government is reportedly planning to fill eight of them (four each from the two parties).

"I have given the BJP the option of filling its quota of six ministers. As far as JD(S) is concerned, only four will make it to the cabinet due to certain compulsions. A final decision will be taken only by Tuesday night," he added.

There is a proposal to appoint chairpersons to government-owned boards and corporations. "Initially, 20 chairpersons (10 each from JD-S and BJP) will be appointed. The list will be ready by the weekend," Kumaraswamy said.

The probable ministers from JD(S) include former deputy chief minister M P Prakash, H D Revanna, Zameer Ahmed Khan and R K Rathod. JD(S) sources said Prakash might be given multiple portfolio of law & parliamentary affairs, urban development and Kannada & culture. Revanna might be assigned the portfolio of public works and energy.

In case the JD(S) opts for a full-scale expansion, two of the five aspirants (G T Deve Gowda, Alangur Srinivas, H S Mahadeva Prasad, B C Patil and Mahima Patel) will be shortlisted, sources stated.

The probable ministers from BJP are Ravindranath, Shivananda Naik, Revunath Belamagi and Shashikanth Lakkappa Naik.

The JD(S)-BJP government assumed power in February after the Congress-JD(S) coalition headed by N Dharam Singh was brought down in a political coup staged by Kumaraswamy.