Date:17/02/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/02/17/stories/2006021724310500.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

BJP finalises list of ten probable ministers

Alladi Jayasri

Choosing 10 from 79 MLAs proves to be a tough task for the party leadership

Top leaders hold daylong meetings to draw up list

Coalition partners keen to have full complement of ministers as soon as possible

BANGALORE: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has finalised its list of 10 ministers for the first phase of Ministry expansion, ahead of the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for Friday morning.

However, the daylong meetings of the party's top brass at an undisclosed location here seem to indicate that the BJP is finding the exercise difficult. Parameters like regional representation, accommodating veterans, mollifying first-time MLAs who brought the BJP its biggest ever haul of 79 seats in the 2004 elections and including the seniors are a tough call, senior leaders told The Hindu .

It is widely expected that Friday's ten will include State President Jagadish Shettar (Dharwad), the former President K.S. Eshwarappa (Shimoga), R. Ashok and Katta Subramanya Naidu (Bangalore), and Ramachandra Gowda, MLC (Bangalore Rural) and V.S. Acharya, MLC (Udupi).

Shakuntala Shetty (Dakshina Kannada) will be the solitary woman Minister. C.M. Udasi (Haveri), Govind Karjol (Bagalkot) and Shivananda Naik (Karwar) are the others who are expected to be sworn in.

BJP sources said both the coalition partners are keen to have the full complement of 34 ministers as early as possible. For the BJP, the earlier the exercise is completed, the sooner the healing for those who fail to make it. However, the fact that there will be about 25 boards and corporations falling into the BJP basket has brought some solace. While many legislators can be accommodated there and mollified for not making it into the Cabinet, there is also the fact that these assignments will keep party workers and leaders who are not legislators happy.

The BJP has also been talking of intra-party rotation of ministers, which gives hope for more number of legislators who wish to do a stint as ministers for at least 20 months.

Parliamentary secretaries

The Government may also create a team of parliamentary secretaries from among the legislators.

They will be assigned to senior ministers with several important portfolios and monitor the implementation of programmes and policies, obtain feedback and report to the ministers on progress on a regular basis.