CM Bommai to visit Delhi soon to get nod for Cabinet rejig

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

After having a preliminary discussion with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the immediate need for the Cabinet rejig and fresh appointment of chairpersons to various boards and corporations, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is expected to leave for Delhi in a day or two to seek permission from the party national president.

Last week, during Shah’s visit to Bengaluru, the CM had a discussion with Shah on the much-awaited Cabinet expansion/reshuffle with hardly 12 months left for the 2023 Assembly polls. Besides, there is constant pressure on Bommai from party legislators to carry out the rejig at the earliest so that they can work as ministers till the election dates are announced.

Already, Shah has given a free hand to the CM to have a team of ministers of his choice. Bommai is learnt to be ready with a list of ministers to be dropped from the Cabinet to give them organisational responsibilities and induct young and fresh faces to woo young voters. A number of BJP lawmakers like P. Rajeev and Arvind Bellad have proved their mettle in the recent sess i o n b y m a k i n g e x c e l l e n t speeches on t h e budget. The CM wants to have such enterprising MLAs in the council of ministers so that they can bring new ideas on various issues. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are impressed with the oratory skills and vision of first and second-term MLAs and want them to be inducted for better governance.

A top BJP source told News Trail that almost all senior ministers including V. Somanna, Shashikala Jolle, R. Ashok, C.C. Patil and Dr.C.S. Ashwath Narayana would be dropped during the rejig and would be put on the job of preparing the party for the Assembly polls. The MLAs belonging to backward classes, microscopic minorities, SCs/STs are likely to get preference in the cabinet reshuffle to keep their community happy.

Apart from them, MLAs who have served three to four terms but have not become ministers, would get priority considering their seniority and loyalty. In fact, Bommai is ready with the list of ministers to be dropped and it would be shown to BJP National President J.P. Nadda and General Secretary Arun Singh, to get their approval.