Karnataka : Rebellion by Yediyurappa loyalists after being dropped from Bommai's Cabinet

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 5 (ANI): Several BJP leaders and loyalists to former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa who could not make it to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's cabinet openly expressed their displeasure over not getting any representation.

This development comes after the Karnataka High Court issued notices to former BS Yediyurappa, his son BY Vijayendra and former state minister ST Somashekar in connection with a corruption case in a housing project

29 ministers including six new faces were sworn-in in the new Cabinet of recently appointed Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai.

As per sources, Surapura MLA Rajugowda, Hiriyur MLA Poornima Sreenivas and Yediyurappa's close follower MP Renukacharya met Yediyurappa broke down in front of him complaining that they didn't make it to Bommai's Cabinet.

This comes after 29 ministers including six new faces were sworn-in in the Bommai's Cabinet and after Yediyurappa loyalists were dropped from new K'taka Cabinet

There were three Deputy CM's in Yediyurappa's cabinet including Dr CN Ashwath Narayana, Govinda Karajol and Laxman Savadi who also served as Transport minister. While Narayana and Karajol made it to the new Cabinet, Savadi was dropped. Also, the new Cabinet does not have any posts for deputy chief ministers.

Sources close to the party said that many leaders in BJP feel that the party high command didn't want to create more "alternate powerhouses" which can create confusion in governance at this point of time when the state is witnessing 3rd wave of COVID-19 and floods.

To control the "power" at one place, the party high command has suggested work collectively by keeping it in mind that due to the upcoming election which will be held in 2023 Deputy CMs post are not been created.

BJP MLA Basavanagowda Patil Yatnal and former minister CP Yogishwar Arvind Bellad who were very much outspoken against former Yediyurappa and were charged with corruption have been kept out of the new Cabinet.

Arvind Bellad (panchamasali Lingayat) who for the last four months spent most of his time advocating himself as the CM face failed to get even ministership in the Bommai Cabinet.

Murugesh Nirani whose name was doing the rounds as a replacement for Yediyurappa was inducted as minister in the Bommai Cabinet.

While 13 districts got no representation in the new state Cabinet including Kalaburagi, Yadgiri Ramanagara, Kodagu, Raichur, Hassan, Ballari, Mysuru, Davangere, Vijayapura Kolar, Chikkamagaluru and Chamarajanagar, Bengaluru once again got a greater representation in the cabinet.

In 2008, BJP had 17 MLAs from Bengaluru. It fell to 12 in 2013 and further to 11 in 2018. After several JDS-Cong MLAs joined BJP and won 2019 by-polls, the number rose to 14 and further to 15 after 2020 by-polls.

Bengaluru numbers play a major role in forming the government. Most of the ministership has gone to Bengaluru MLAs once again. CN Ashwath Narayan, Byrati Basavaraju, R Ashoka, ST Somashekar, K Gopalaiah are among them.

Many came out in protest against the party high command for not considering their names in the minister's list.

Supporters of Nehru Olekar from Haveri staged a protest in front of the Vidhana Soudha demanding a ministerial post to Olekar. On the other hand, Ashok Mamani, deputy speaker of the Karnataka assembly threatened to resign for not getting a ministerial post.

Seniors like Jagadish Shetter, Suresh Kumar have become silent after their names weren't considered in the new cabinet. Shetter has already said that "being a senior and the former CM" he doesn't want to be a "Junior's" (Basavaraja Bommai's) cabinet.

It is once again becoming clear that many who wanted to be in the new cabinet did not get the Ministership and many of the supporters are openly protesting against the BJP high command for not considering them when they considered caste, region and other things while finalising the list of ministers.

On Wednesday, BJP MLAs R Ashok, B. Sriramulu, Govind Karjol and KS Eshwarappa were among the first of the 29 party legislators who took oath as ministers in the new Karnataka Cabinet led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

The MLAs were administered the oath of office by Karnataka Governer Thawar Chand Gehlot at a swearing-in ceremony held at Raj Bhavan here today.

Before the oath-taking ceremony, Bommai had said that the new Cabinet will have seven Other Backward Class (OBC), 3 scheduled Caste (SC), one Scheduled Tribe (ST), seven Vokkaligas, eight Linagayats, one Reddy and one woman will be a part of the new state cabinet.

He had further informed that there will be no deputy chief minister in the council of ministers this time.

Bommai took oath as the 23rd chief minister of Karnataka on July 28, two days after the resignation of BS Yediyurappa. (ANI)