Karnataka Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda alone is handling 21 portfolios.
Hit by one woe after another, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state has suffered not only a loss of reputation but is also facing the problem of filling up the vacancies in the cabinet.
Karnataka Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda alone is handling 21 portfolios. Even six months after taking the oath as chief minister, he has not been able to form a full cabinet of 34 ministers. Deep divisions in the state unit, courtesy ambitions of former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa, forced the ruling party to keep seven ministerial posts vacant to tackle a crisis.
Resignation of Lakshman Savadi, CC Patil and Krishna Palemar because of the porn scandal created three more vacancies. The demise of higher education minister VS Acharya created yet another vacancy. As there are too many aspirants for the posts — who may be miffed if ‘justice’ is not done to their contribution to the party — the party high command chose to put off cabinet expansion until the assembly polls in the northern part of the country get over.
However, as four more vacancies cropped up, Sadananda Gowda was hoping the party bosses would give nod to expansion, especially because he has to present state budget by the second week of March. However, Thursday’s announcement that by-poll for Udupi-Chikkamagalur Lok Sabha seat would be held on March 18 meant the CM cannot expand his cabinet until the by-poll is over, owing to the model code of conduct.
Assembly elections will be held in Karnataka after 15 months and Gowda and his ministers have just that much time to implement the schemes and make a mark. While scandals in Karnataka, including the porn scandal, may not affect the party’s prospects in Uttar Pradesh, an unimpressive show there will certainly weaken the Central leaders and embolden Yeddyurappa and his supporters, making cabinet expansion a bitter exercise.
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