The Hindu : Front Page : Yeddyurappa to be sworn in Chief Minister on Friday

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Wednesday, May 28, 2008
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Yeddyurappa to be sworn in Chief Minister on Friday

Special Correspondent

Governor extends formal invitation to BJP to form Government

Lobbying for ministerial berths begins
Mumtaz Ali Khan likely to be made Minister

— Photo: K. Murali Kumar

INVITED: BJP’s chief ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa shows a letter given by Governor Rameshwar Thakur inviting him to form the Government outside the Raj Bhavan in Bangalore on Tuesday. Party leaders Govind M. Karjol (left) and D.V. Sadananda Gowda (right) are seen.

BANGALORE: The first-ever Bharatiya Janata Party Government in a South India will be sworn in on Friday in Karnataka, thus fulfilling the long-cherished dream of the BJP Legislature Party leader, B.S. Yeddyurappa, who is set to take oath as Chief Minister on that day.

A grand swearing-in ceremony will be held at 1.50 p.m. on Friday in front of the Vidhana Soudha. The decks were cleared for the swearing-in ceremony with Governor Rameshwar Thakur extending a formal invitation here on Tuesday to Mr. Yeddyurappa to form the Government.

A team of 15 to 20 members of the party is expected to take oath as Ministers along with Mr. Yeddyurappa.

The number of persons to be sworn in might even go up as lobbying for ministerial berths has commenced.

A core team comprising the party’s prominent leaders, headed by Mr. Yeddyurappa, held discussions on allocation of ministerial berths and other issues.

As per norms, Karnataka can have a maximum of 34 Ministers, including the Chief Minister.

Party leaders K.S. Eshwarappa, D.H. Shankaramurthy, Ramachandra Gowda, C.M. Udasi, R. Ashok, Katta Subramanya Naidu, V.S. Acharya, Jagadish Shettar and Govind M. Karjol are likely to be on the ministerial team.

The team is likely to include new faces such as Shobha Karandlaje, Arvind Limbavali, Mumtaz Ali Khan and three of the six independents who have supported the party.

Dr. Mumtaz Ali Khan is being given a ministerial berth in keeping with Mr. Yeddyurappa’s pre-poll promise of including a minority member in the Ministry.

Dr. Khan, who is not a legislator, would be made an MLC, according to party sources.

Speculations were rife that the mining lobby is bringing pressure on the party leadership to provide the Home portfolio to either B. Sriramulu or G. Karunakar Reddy.

But there was no confirmation on this from the party. However, party insiders said that the possibility of Mr. Sriramulu being given the Home portfolio was remote as he was facing criminal charges.

A big team of Central party leaders, including L.K. Advani and the Chief Ministers of the BJP-ruled States, will attend the swearing-in ceremony.

Mr. Yeddyurappa said the party wanted the swearing-in ceremony to be held on Friday so that there would be enough time for party leaders in different States and districts to attend the function.

More support

Meanwhile, one more independent member, Varthur Prakash, who contested as a Congress rebel, extended support to the BJP on Tuesday.

With this, the BJP has managed to get the support of all the six independent members in the Assembly. The strength of the BJP combine has now increased to 116.

The manifesto committee of the party, which met on Tuesday, decided to monitor the implementation of the poll manifesto. The panel will provide suggestion to the Government on implementing the poll manifesto.

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