Bengaluru, Dec 14: Under pressure from the party’s old guard, chief minister BS Yediyurappa is said to have dropped the idea of appointing two more deputy chief ministers (DyCMs). He is also thinking of sacking at least two ministers from his cabinet to accommodate some upset loyalists besides the 11 victorious Congress-JD(S) rebel MLAs.
If Yediyurappa keeps his promise and allots cabinet berths to the 11 rebels who won the bypolls on BJP tickets, he would be left with only five vacancies for loyalists.
Some like health minister B Sriramulu are also reportedly upset as speculation suggests the CM could appoint newly elected Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi DyCM.
However, Sriramulu, who has been conspicuous by his absence at meetings, denied he was an aspirant for the post, or that he was unhappy that Jarkiholi would get it.
“I couldn’t attend cabinet meetings since my daughter’s wedding was fixed,” Sriramulu said. “I had taken the CM’s written permission.”
As for the DyCM post, he said, “Only god decides what to give us and what not to give. I believe people have given me enough love. I have no qualms if Ramesh Jarkiholi is given the DyCM post.”
Some also say Yediyurappa plans to convince the central leadership to do away with DyCM posts altogether so as to bring parity among senior leaders in his cabinet.
Party functionaries said the creation of two more DyCM posts will only create a rift in the party and may also divide the sizeable Valmiki community to which Sriramulu and Jarkiholi belong. This, the said, would weaken the BJP’s strong voter base.
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