Bommai meets Nadda, discusses Karnataka political developments

Amid speculation about a state cabinet expansion or reshuffle, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday met BJP president J P Nadda at his residence here and believed to have discussed about the state’s political developments.

It was not immediately known if Bommai discussed in detail the impending rejig in his cabinet as the meeting between him and Nadda was ”very brief”, sources said.

Earlier during the day, Bommai had a brief one-on-one interaction with Nadda on the sidelines of the BJP’s 42nd Foundation Day event here, sources added.

Pressure has been mounting on the chief minister to expand or rejig his cabinet soon, after the recent assembly elections in five states.

Some legislators have even been advocating a Gujarat-like overhaul of the Karnataka cabinet to make way for new faces ahead of the assembly election next year.

There are currently 30 ministers in the State Cabinet, including the chief minister, against the sanctioned strength of 34.

Senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who recently visited the state, had given a target to Karnataka BJP leaders to ensure the party’s victory in 150 seats out of the total of 224 in the 2023 assembly elections. The BJP is eyeing a second consecutive term in the state.

On the second day of his Delhi visit, Bommai met several Union ministers, including Nirmala Sitharaman and Rajnath Singh, and discussed various issues of his state.