Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa expanded his cabinet by inducting seven new ministers who were sworn in. Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oaths of the ministers and secrecy to the Ministers at a ceremony at the Raj Bhavan.
The new sworn in Ministers are MLAs Umesh Katti (Hukkeri), Murugesh Nirani (Bilgi), S Angara (Sullia), Arvind Limbavali (Mahadevapura), M T B Nagaraj, MLCs R Shankar, and C P Yogeshwar. Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, his cabinet colleagues, BJP leaders and office bearers, including General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Arun Singh, state unit President Nalin Kumar Kateel, senior state government officials, family members and supporters of the new Ministers, are all who were present during the oath ceremony.
This is the third expansion of his cabinet since Yediyurappa took charge of his position in July 2019 after the tussel of the Congress-JDS government in the wake of revolt by 17 MLAs of the coalition partners.
Resentment erupted within BJP in the state soon after Yediyurappa announced the list of seven new ministers of his cabinet.
Vijayapura City MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, who is the critic of Yediyurappa, accused the Chief Minister for making appointments under blackmail, without considering honesty.
Alleging that the CM and his family have ‘hijacked’ the BJP in Karnataka, he also requested the PM to end dynastic politics from Yediyurappa’s family in the state. He also said that Chief Minister is making those MLAs the Ministers who blackmails him.
Three people- one political secretary and two Ministers have been blackmailing him with some of Yediyurappa’s CDs for three months. One who will become Minister today, along with CD blackmail, was also involved in payment of money to Vijayendra, son of Yediyurappa,” he said.
His statement comes despite warnings given by the BJP leadership against making any statement in public on issues relating to the party and leaders.
The cabinet currently has 27 members in which seven seats are vacant. With this induction of seven Ministers and dropping of H Nagesh from the Ministry there will be one seat that will be vacant in the cabinet of the state.
