The proposed reshuffle of the State Cabinet dominated Wednesday’s meeting of the Council of Ministers, and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah sought cooperation from his Ministers for the much-awaited exercise.
According to the Ministers, as soon as the meeting commenced, Mr. Siddaramaiah spoke about the revamping of his ministry, an exercise that is expected to be completed any day after getting the green signal from Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The reshuffle is expected to happen by next week, they said.
“The government has completed three years in office, and we now have to gear up for the 2018 Assembly elections. All of you should be prepared for any role that the party high command assigns. Many of you may be drafted for party work,” Mr. Siddaramaiah reportedly said, addressing the Council of Ministers at the very outset of the meeting.
Sources said the meeting of the Council of Ministers was convened largely to send out a message to the Ministers about the imminent reshuffle of the ministry. Moreover, unlike in the past, the State Cabinet cleared only a few subjects on Wednesday.
Even as senior Ministers opposed any major reshuffle, they expressed their readiness to agree to any decision that the party high command would take on the composition of the ministry, sources said.
A senior party leader expressed the hope of a Cabinet reshuffle within a week if Ms. Gandhi grants appointment to meet Mr. Siddaramaiah in a day or two. At least 10 Ministers would be removed.
Apart from inducting new and young legislators into the ministry, there are possibilities of changing the portfolios of many Ministers, sources said.
