Bangalore: Krishnaiah Setty to quit to make way for Somanna in Cabinet
by Gabriel Vaz
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

BANGALORE, JUNE 17:  Karnataka’s Muzrai Minister S N Krishnaiah Setty, a staunch loyalist of Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, is almost certain to put in his papers and pave the way for erstwhile Congress leader V Somanna’s induction into the state cabinet most probably on coming Thursday.

Setty, who left for Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh for a final darshan of Lord Venkateshwara this afternoon,  is expected to submit his resignation as cabinet minister upon his return to the on Wednesday so as to enable Yeddyurappa to elevate Somanna as a minister.

Setty and Somanna

Somanna, a prominent leader from the city belonging to politically powerful Lingayat community to which the chief minister belongs, had quit the Janata Dal on the eve of the 2004 assembly polls and joined the Congress party to win from the Binnypet constituency in the city.

He won again from the newly created Govindarajanagar constituency in the city in the assembly elections held in 2008.  He had resigned his assembly seat on the eve of the recent Lok Sabha polls and had joined the ruling BJP under its ``Operation Lotus.’’

The chief minister, who was instrumental in persuading Somanna to join BJP with a view to use his political clout in the city in favour of the ruling party, had reportedly promised to offer him a cabinet ministerial berth after the Lok Sabha polls. Somanna is believed to have been keen on becoming the Mayor of the reconstituted Brhuat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) if the Yeddyurappa regime went ahead with its plans to provide a full five-year-term to the Mayor in a direct election.

In all probability, Somanna will be the lone addition to the Yeddyurappa ministry filling the vacancy arising out of Setty’s resignation as the size of the cabinet cannot exceed 34, being 15% of the total strength of the state legislature comprising 224 assembly members and 75 council members. He is likely to be offered the Urban Development portfolio, presently held by law and parliamentary affairs minister S Suresh Kumar as an additional charge.

Yeddyurappa is said to have seriously contemplated revamping his ministry after completion of the first anniversary in office. However, the recent bout of dissidence activities within the ruling party by senior cabinet minister K S Eshwarappa as also the Bellary mining lords, comprising cabinet ministers G Janardhana Reddy, G Karunakar Reddy and B Sriramulu, and several BJP legislators, including M P Renuukacharya, G Somashekara Reddy,  has virtually scuttled his plans.

The fact that Setty, who represents Malur in Kolar district and belongs to the numerically small Vysya community, is said to be the main reason behind Yeddyurappa’s decision to ask him to quit. An additional factor being Setty’s close relationship with the chief minister, which makes it impossible for him to rock the boat or create any trouble as had happened in the case of S K Bellubi, who had to relinquish his ministerial berth in favour of JD(S) leader Umesh V Katti.

Though the chief minister is said to be in favour of  dropping a few more ministers and induct some new faces, it is not clear whether he will be able to go ahead with his plans. Ruling party circles are agog with speculation that women and child welfare minister P M Narendraswamy, an independent belonging to Scheduled Castes from Malavalli constituency of Mandya district,  public works minister C M Udasi as well as primary and secondary education minister Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri may be axed to make way for some new faces. If this happens, the chances of assembly speaker Jagadish Shettar, a Lingayat from Hubli-Dharwad, joining the cabinet and his place being offered to either Kageri or Udasi  are considered bright. Apart from Shettar, Mysore district legislator Shankaralinge Gowda is also strongly tipped to join the cabinet.

But, it all depends whether the Sangh Parivar bosses and party high command give the green signal to Yeddyurappa to restructure his ministry or confine himself merely to effecting just a single change to accommodate Somanna. With monsoon session of the state legislature due to commence from July 2, the chief minister and the ruling party is all set to brace for some tough grilling, especially with a seasoned parliamentarian like former deputy chief minister Siddaramaiah replacing Mallikarjuna Kharge as the opposition Congress leader in the assembly.