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Janata Dal (S), BJP planning joint swearing-in of nominees

Sure to make it: (From left) H.D. Revanna, K.S. Eshwarappa, Katta Subramanya Naidu and N. Cheluvarayaswamy who are certain to become Ministers.

Sure to make it: (From left) H.D. Revanna, K.S. Eshwarappa, Katta Subramanya Naidu and N. Cheluvarayaswamy who are certain to become Ministers.

Sure to make it: (From left) H.D. Revanna, K.S. Eshwarappa, Katta Subramanya Naidu and N. Cheluvarayaswamy who are certain to become Ministers.

Sure to make it: (From left) H.D. Revanna, K.S. Eshwarappa, Katta Subramanya Naidu and N. Cheluvarayaswamy who are certain to become Ministers.

Bangalore: The Janata Dal (Secular) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are considering a joint swearing-in of their nominees on November 21 to expand the B.S.Yeddyurappa Ministry to its optimum size of 34.

While the Janata Dal (S) has confirmed that it will fill up its full quota of 18 berths in the Ministry, including that of the Deputy Chief Minister, the BJP too is planning a similar exercise after obtaining approval of the party high command.

The Cabinet expansion exercise hinges on the power-sharing arrangement and will be held two days after the Government obtains the confidence vote on the floor of the Legislative Assembly.

Chief Minister B.S.Yeddyurappa has left for New Delhi to call on party president Rajnath Singh and the party observer for Karnataka, Yashwant Sinha, and finalise the party’s power-sharing arrangement with the Janata Dal (S), apart from finalising the list of Ministers to be sworn in.

The Chief Minister will also call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, President Pratibha Patil and several Union Ministers, including Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil. The inclusion of five legislators of the Janata Dal (S) and five of the BJP in the Ministry has been confirmed by the leadership of the two parties. These 10 legislators, who were in the previous Ministry, are likely to be given key portfolios.

H.D. Revanna is likely to be given Public Works and Energy portfolios (which he held in the previous two governments as well), N. Cheluvarayaswamy is likely to be given Irrigation and C. Chennigappa may get the Industries portfolio. Balachandra Jarkiholi and Iqbal Ansari are likely to become Ministers.

Both Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy and Mr. Chennigappa reportedly wanted “weighty” portfolios. Incidentally, the two are among those who had pledged unstinted support to the H.D. Deve Gowda family during the recent political crisis when attempts were reportedly made to win over the party legislators.

In the BJP, those certain to find a Cabinet berth are K.S. Eshwarappa, Katta Subramanya Naidu, Laxman Savadi, Rajendra Verma, S.A. Ravindranath and B. Nagaraj Shetty.

While the Janata Dal (S) has decided to include either Vijayalakshmi Bandisidde Gowda or Parimala Nagappa from among the women legislators, the BJP is unlikely to accommodate women.

Mr. Kumaraswamy told The Hindu that he would convince the legislators that not all could get a Cabinet berth. Of a total of 103 first-time legislators, the BJP and Janata Dal (S) have 70 of them and all of them are seeking positions.

There are several second and third-time legislators who have not been made Ministers so far. Legislators of both parties have been exerting considerable pressure on their leaders for ministerial berths.

There is now a situation of legislators grouping together and telling their leaders that if they are not made Ministers, they would rather face elections.

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