Basavaraj Bommai to travel to Delhi to discuss cabinet expansion

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said he will be travelling to New Delhi later in the day to discuss with the BJPs national leadership cabinet expansion and preparations for the 2023 Assembly pollsHe did not rule out the possibility of a cabinet reshuffle maintaining that things will be known after the meetingIm going to Delhi today afternoon the last time when I had gone to Delhi certain discussions were incomplete today the meeting has been scheduled Our BJP national President J P Nadda has called this meeting all our senior leaders will be participating in that meeting including Union Home Minister Amit Shah Bommai saidSpeaking to reporters he said several issues from election preparations to cabinet expansion will be discussedResponding to a question on whether it will it be a cabinet expansion or reshuffle the Chief Minister said all those things will be known only after the discussionsAlso Read Karnataka government faces heat on quota issueHe said he will also have talks with certain central Ministers during the visit regarding state related projects and will try to meet the union water resources MinisterBommai had earlier indicated that the cabinet exercise is likely after the Gujarat Assembly pollsThe Chief Minister has been under intense pressure for some time now over expansion and rejig of the Cabinet not taking place to make way for the fresh faces ahead of Assembly elections by AprilMay next yearThere were some reports of possible cabinet expansion by filling six vacant posts or a kind of a rejig by dropping a few and inducting an equal number of new facesThere were also talk in some quarters that a Gujaratlike complete top to bottom overhaul of the state ministry may take place Many aspirants feel it is too late now with polls fast approachingIt is also expected that the Chief Minister is likely to discuss reservation related issues in the state with the party leadershipBommai has to first ensure legal protection to his governments decision of hiking the SCST quota which has taken the total reservation in Karnataka to 56 per cent exceeding the 50 per cent cap by bringing it under the Ninth Schedule of the ConstitutionFurther Panchamasali Lingayats are mounting pressure on him to put them under Category 2A from Category 3B of OBC reservation matrix Then there is pressure to implement internal quotas for SCSTsAlso Vokkaligas are putting pressure on Bommai to hike their quota from 4 to 12 per centThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever