Suspense over Karnataka cabinet rejig continues a week after Amit Shah’s visit

It was also widely expected in political circles that a decision would be taken on cabinet changes by the BJP high command in Delhi and conveyed to the state leadership in Karnataka after the return of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from a tour of Europe on May 5. However, several BJP leaders in Karnataka have indicated that they have not received any hints of the possible changes in the cabinet but aides of some ministers indicated that a few leaders had set aside plans for travels anticipating the reshuffle.

The cabinet of chief minister Basavaraj Bommai currently has five vacancies against a full quota of 34 ministers. The Bharatiya Janata Party, plagued by complaints of corruption and non-performance in the state at present, is expected to drop non-performers and introduce fresh blood in the run-up to the 2023 Karnataka Assembly election.

The speculation that arose during the visit of Shah of the BJP contemplating changing the chief minister has also not died out even as Bommai has been working overtime to push budget proposals into action following the Shah visit. “I have not received any call from Delhi on the cabinet changes yet,” Bommai said on Saturday.

Bommai, however, held a lengthy discussion with Union minister Pralhad Joshi on Saturday during his brief visit to Bengaluru from Delhi. Joshi has been a link between Bommai and the BJP central leadership since he became the CM in July 2021. The Karnataka chief minister is scheduled to travel to London and Davos from May 18 to 26 and has reportedly obtained a clearance from the BJP leadership on this front.

“There has been no indication of any changes yet. Till the cabinet reshuffle takes place nothing can be said,” said a senior BJP leader.

There have been suggestions in the government and BJP circles that a Union minister from Karnataka—who is familiar with the expectations of the party at the national level—could be vested with key responsibilities in the state in the run-up to the 2023 Assembly elections.

Meanwhile, former chief minister Yediyurappa travelled to Dubai over the weekend to attend a private Lingayat community event. Before that, Vijayendra organised a massive rally of the Lingayat community in April to mark the birth anniversary of the Lingayat seer Siddalinga Shivakumar Swami of the Siddaganga Mutt. The event was attended by Shah. The Lingayat community is considered central to the fortunes of the BJP in Karnataka and the party is known to be keen on hanging on to the support of the community while also not being excessively dependent on it.

Yediyurappa is known to be keen to facilitate the ascendancy of his younger son B Y Vijayendra in the BJP amid reluctance within the party. He has also indicated that he is willing to work under the leadership of anyone chosen by the party high command suggesting that any changes in the BJP government will have his blessings.

The speculation of the BJP high command contemplating changes in the Karnataka government also arose last week after the BJP’s national organisation secretary B L Santhosh said during a meeting that the party has the strength to carry out big changes, unlike other parties.

“I am not saying that this will happen everywhere but the BJP is able to make decisions that cannot even be envisaged by other political parties. Due to the confidence and will in the party, these decisions are possible and in Gujarat when the chief minister was changed the entire cabinet was also changed. This was done with the intent to infuse freshness and not because of any complaints,” said the BJP leader who is considered to be opposed to the dominance of Yediyurappa in Karnataka BJP.

Since Shah’s visit to Karnataka, Bommai has been holding back to back meetings with state officials to implement schemes proposed in a budget he presented last month. On Sunday, he held a meeting with all district officials.

“Bommai has been tense since the visit by Amit Shah. Nothing happened during the visit but he is still tense,” BJP MLA and former minister Basavaraj Patil Yatnal, an aspirant to any new cabinet formulation in the BJP, said last week at a public meeting. He also suggested last week that some people proposed making him the CM if he paid Rs 2500 crore.