Everybody loves a plum ministry

Jul 14, 2012 |

Bengaluru

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Jagadish Shettar has become Chief Minister and, with 34 ministers in the Cabinet, one out of every four BJP legislators is now a minister. Now, those ministers are fighting a pitched battle for plum portfolios.

New deputy chief minister R. Ashok is unwilling to forego his Home and Transport ministries, but the party is not keen on keeping him in the Home ministry.

His fellow deputy chief minister K.S. Eshwarappa has made it equally difficult for the party by demanding the Finance portfolio.

Eshwarappa’s logic: Former deputy CMs B.S. Yeddyurappa and Siddaramaiah had enjoyed the power to allocate monies. For this very reason, CM Shettar is unwilling to part with Finance, sources said.

BJP general secretary H.N. Ananth Kumar has also queered the pitch for Shettar by demanding that plum portfolios such as Public Works and Excise — money-spinners that had been the preserve of former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa’s loyalists C.M. Udasi and M.P. Renukacharya earlier— be given to loyal party leaders.

To thrash out a consensus, top BJP leaders including Mr Shettar, Mr Eshwarappa, Mr Ashok, Mr Ananth Kumar, former CM Sadananda Gowda and RSS leaders met at a private hotel in the city on Friday evening.

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