7 Ministers will take oath today, one berth will be kept vacant: K'taka CM

Karnataka Chief Minister B SYediyurappa on Wednesday said seven new Ministers will takeoath of office later in the day, as he expands his 17-monthold cabinet.

Indicating that Excise Minister H Nagesh will be droppedfrom the Ministry, he said one berth will be kept vacant.

''The list of seven new ministers who will take oath todayhas been sent to the Raj Bhavan. Their names are Umesh Katti,Arvind Limbavali, MTB Nagaraj, Murugesh Nirani, R Shankar, C PYogeshwar and S Angara,'' Yediyurappa said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said other things will bediscussed with party central leaders who are coming.

''We have kept one post vacant, and (regarding) Nagesh...

I will discuss with him and try to convince,'' the ChiefMinister said, indicating that he will be dropped from theMinistry.

The cabinet currently has 27 members, and seven berthsare vacant.

According to a state Information Department release,Governor Vajubhai Vala will administer the oath of office andsecrecy to the new members who will be inducted to the Cabinetat 3.50 pm at the Glass House of Raj Bhavan on Wednesday.

BJP General Secretary in-charge of state Arun Singh is inthe city to attend the swearing-in.

This would be the third expansion of the cabinet sinceYediyurappa assumed charge in July, 2019 after the collapse ofthe Congress-JDS government in the wake of revolt by 17 MLAsof the coalition partners.

It's a mix of old guards and new entrants from Congressand JDS who are making into the cabinet.

Keeping up the promise, Congress-JD(S) rebels-turned BJPMLCs R Shankar and M T B Nagaraj, who helped the saffron partycome to power, are being inducted by Yediyurappa.

Another MLC Yogeshwar, who is said to have played a keyrole by managing Congress-JD(S) rebel MLAs, during thepolitical turmoil in the state in 2019, is also being inductedinto the Ministry.

Among the party oldguards making it to the cabinetinclude Umesh Katti (Hukkeri), S Angara (Sullia), MurugeshNirani (Bilgi) and Arvind Limbavali (Mahadevapura).

While Katti (eight time MLA), Nirani and Limbavali (stateBJP Vice President) have been Ministers in the previous BJPgovernment, for Angara (six times MLA) this will be his firststint as the Minister.

However, RR Nagar MLA N Munirthna not making it to thelist has come as a surprise, as Chief Minister whilecampaigning during the November, 2020 bypolls to theconstituency has announced that he will be made Minister onbeing elected.

Munirathna was also among the Congress-JD(S) rebels whoswitched over to the BJP.

Induction of Shankar, Nagaraj and Yogeshwar will take thenumber of MLCs in the Ministry to five, with Deputy ChiefMinister Laxman Savadi and Muzrai Minister Kota SrinivasPoojari already in the cabinet.

This has led to some amount of resentment within theparty, as many MLAs are upset that those not elected directlyby the people are being made Ministers.