Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP) 

Bengaluru, Aug 22: Karnataka chief minister, B S Yediyurappa, who has finally expanded his ministry, is facing a new challenge, that of allocation of portfolios. As some senior ministers and disqualified legislators have been insisting on some specific portfolios, Yediyurappa is in a fix. 

It is said that the BJP leaders had promised the rebel MLAs to allocate to them portfolios as per their choice, before the BJP government was formed. As they have been disqualified, these legislators cannot be made ministers till their applications before the Supreme Court are decided. 

Yediyurappa has expanded his ministry, duly keeping ministerial vacancies unfilled to accommodate the disqualified legislators later. It is said that he is now faced with the necessity to keep important portfolios unfilled till the petitions of the disqualified legislators are decided. There are rumours that veteran BJP leaders like Jagadish Shettar, R Ashok, K S Eshwarappa, Govind Karjol, Basavaraj Bommai and others have been seeking portfolios like revenue, home, PWD, water resources, rural development and panchayat raj, energy, agriculture and Bengaluru development. 

Out of 17 disqualified MLAs, the BJP is under obligation to accommodate at least 50 percent among them in the ministry and allocate to them important departments. As the chief minister is engaged with the delicate issue of distributing the portfolios, it is said, there is delay in allocating portfolios among the newly sworn-in ministers. 

Later report

Bengaluru: Portfolio finalization - CM Yediyurappa to meet BJP high command 

In the midst of the chaos that are prevailing in the state BJP over the denial of minister berth for senior leaders, chief minister B S Yediyurappa is scheduled to fly to Delhi on the evening of Thursday, August 22 to discuss the final allotment of portfolios with the home minister Amit Shah. This was confirmed to the press by the CM himself. 

The trip of CM to Delhi, which is the third in a month, is an indication of the stronghold of Amit Shah over the political affairs of the state. It may be recalled that Yediyurappa rushed to Delhi a few days ago to finalize the names of the ministers to be inducted into this cabinet and now is going again to seek permission for the allotment of portfolios. During the first trip, however, Yediyurappa was asked to go back to the state, without any discussion and manage the flood situation. 

Ironically, the disqualified MLAs of JD (S) and Congress are also in Delhi to push their case of early settlement of their issue from the court as well as demands of cream of the portfolios to be given to them. It seems tough days are ahead for Yediyurappa to manage both the dissidence within the state BJP as well as of the disqualified MLAs.