State BJP expects more representation in Modi cabinet

Bengaluru: With the BJP routing the ruling Congress-JDS combine in Karnataka by winning 25 of the total 28 Lok Sabha seats, there is expectation in the party’s Karnataka unit that members elected from the state would get more representation in the Narendra Modi cabinet.

The state unit’s feelings were clearly articulated by Karnataka chief B S Yeddyurappa a day ahead of the swearing in of Modi as Prime Minister on Thursday after a landslide win.

“I’m going to Delhi today, I don’t know what is in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mind. As 25 MPs have got elected from here, Karnataka should get more representation is the expectation of everyone, 6.5 crore people of Karnataka.

I will try to convince them about this,” Yeddyurappa told reporters in response to a question.

Those in political circles including BJP feel that a minimum of four ministerial berths are likely for Karnataka, one each from prominent Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities, also one Brahmin and one SC.

However, BJP sources said, it will be too vague to speculate on such things, as it is the prerogative of the Prime Minister to select Ministers and only Modi and BJP President Amit Shah would know about who would be in.

D V Sadananda Gowda (Vokkaliga), G M Siddeshwara (Lingyat), along with Ananth Kumar (Brahmin) had found place in the Modi cabinet in 2014.

Later when the cabinet rejig happened in 2016, Ramesh Jigajinagi, a Dalit leader, was inducted dropping Siddeshwara. Also inducted was Ananth Kumar Hegde (Brahmin).

M Venkaiah Naidu (now Vice President of India) and Nirmala Sitharaman, who represented Karnataka in the Rajya Sabha, had also served as ministers in the previous Modi government.