Jagadish Shettar, who resigned as speaker of Karnataka assembly on Monday, was inducted into the 18-month-old B S Yeddyurappa government today. This marks the fulfillment of yet another condition of the compromise formula worked out with the dissident group by the chief minister.
Shettar was inducted as a cabinet rank minister, increasing the size of the ministry to 33. The 54-year-old Shettar, a prominent leader from North Karnataka, was administered the oath of office and secrecy at the Raj Bhavan by Governor H R Bhardwaj at a function held today.
Besides Yeddyurappa, his cabinet colleagues and top officials were present on the occasion. Several top officials, including V P Baligar, who was the chief minister’s principal secretary, have already been shifted and Shobha Karandlaje made to resign as minister by Yeddyurappa to fulfil the conditions of the compromise formula.
According to party sources, Shettar is likely to be given the rural development and panchayat raj portfolio. However, official notification was yet to be issued in this regard.
Shettar’s family is not new to politics as his father was elected to the Hubli municipality five times and he himself was the first ever erstwhile Jan Sangh mayor of the municipality. Shettar became president of the Hubli rural unit and Dharwad district unit of the BJP in 1994, and rose to the post of leader of the opposition in the state assembly in 1999.
He practised law for 20 years and also headed Karnataka unit of the BJP in 2005 and is credited with playing a pivotal role for the party in the 2008 assembly election when it came to power in the state.
Shettar, who had served as the revenue minister in the JD(S)-BJP coalition government, however, could not join the Yeddyurappa ministry last year as he was made the Speaker.
Meanwhile, the legislature party meeting of the BJP will be held tomorrow. This will be the first meeting of the legislature party meeting after the recent crisis in the party. National leader Sushma Swaraj among others will attend the meeting the party sources said.
The state unit of BJP today constituted a 14-member coordination committee which will act as a link between the party and the government in the state.
The committee members, include Yeddyurappa, home minister V S Acharya, revenue minister G Karunakar Reddy, energy minister K S Eshwarappa, Jagadish Shettar, transport minister R Ashok, IT & BT minister Katta Subramanya Naidu, water resources minister Basavaraj Bommai, education minister Vishveshwar Hegde Kageri, state party president D V Sadananda Gowda, member of parliament from Bangalore south Ananthakumar. It also includes two special invitees V Sateesh, national organising secretary, and Santosh, state organising secretary of BJP.
The list has been forward to the party high command for the approval, party sources said.
The co-ordination committee will hold its first meeting in Bangalore on Wednesday at 10 am and the legislative party will meet at 12.
