With the deadlock over the formation of a Cabinet for the D.V. Sadananda Gowda government remaining unresolved, another round of talks are scheduled for Monday morning to arrive at a solution. After a series of meetings on Sunday evening, the Yeddyurappa and Ananth Kumar (AK) factions were unable to reach an agreement on the post of deputy chief minister. Sources in the BJP said the AK camp insisted on the post of deputy CM for unsuccessful chief minister aspirant Jagadish Shettar but the Yeddyurappa camp stoutly opposed this. In fact, Mr Shettar’s supporters have made it clear that if he was not made deputy chief minister, none of them would join the new cabinet.
Meanwhile, the government is hopeful of a breakthrough and has even made arrangements for the swearing–in ceremony at Kanteerava indoor stadium in the city at 4 pm, source said.
Sunday’s parleys were attended by the CM, the party’s in-charge for Karnataka Dharmendra Pradhan, state president K.S. Eshwarappa and former ministers R. Ashok and Mr Shettar himself. If the talks remain unsuccessful on Monday morning, the swearing-in will happen only on Wednesday as Tuesday is considered an inauspicious day. Sources said the CM wants to induct 20 former ministers of the Yeddyurappa government in the first round and new faces in the second after taking into consideration caste and regional factors.
Mr Sadananda Gowda, while objecting to the demand for deputy chief minister, reportedly told Mr Shettar that central leaders had offered him the post before the election of the legislative party leader, which was then rejected. Therefore, there was no ground for demanding the post now, he said.
A party source said that with the BJP opposed to the creation of the deputy CM post, state leaders are likely to leave the decision to the central leadership. Meanwhile, former ministers in the Yeddyurappa Cabinet rushed to the capital on Sunday with the CM reportedly telling them to be ready for the oath taking on Monday itself, sources said.