Jagadish Shettar was sworn in as Karnataka Chief Minister on Thursday along with a team of 33 Ministers that included Deputy Chief Ministers K.S. Eshwarappa and R. Ashok.
But trouble has started for the new government as dissidence has broken out in the Bharatiya Janata Party with some MLAs who failed to make it to the Ministry threatening to quit.
Mr. Shettar, 56, is the 21st Chief Minister of the State and third to head the BJP government that came to power in 2008. The Lingayat leader from north Karnataka will have a short tenure of about 10 months if the Assembly runs its term till May 2013.
While the 21 Ministers who were part of the previous dispensation have been included in the new government, 12 new Ministers have been added. With this, the Ministry has 34 members, including the Chief Minister — the maximum permissible given the Assembly’s numbers.
A first; two of a kind
This is the first time since the formation of the BJP government that all the ministerial berths have been filled.
This is also the first time that the State has got two Deputy Chief Ministers. Five previous governments had one Deputy Chief Minister each.
The members of the Shettar Ministry, besides Mr. Eshwarappa and Mr. Ashok, are Govind Karjol, Umesh Katti, C.M. Udasi, S. Suresh Kumar, Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri, Shobha Karandlaje, Murugesh Nirani, B.N. Bache Gowda, C.P. Yogeshwar, V. Somanna, M.P. Renukacharya, S.A. Ravindranath, S.A. Ramdas, Balachandra Jarkiholi, Anand Asnotikar, A. Narayanaswamy, Revu Naik Belamagi, Varthur Prakash, Raju Gowda (all Ministers in the earlier dispensation); S.K. Bellubbi, C.T. Ravi, D.N. Jeevaraj, Sogadu Shivanna, Arvind Limbavali, B.J. Puttaswamy, Appachu Ranjan, Anand Singh, Kalakappa Bandi, Kota Srinivas Poojary and Sunil Valyapure.
With rival camps in the BJP bargaining hard for ministerial berths as well as portfolios, State party leaders were summoned by the central leaders to Delhi where the ministerial list was finalised by Wednesday midnight.
Mr. Shettar, Mr. Eshwarappa and Ananth Kumar returned to Bangalore from Delhi only on Thursday morning.
The swearing-in ceremony was held at the Glass House in Raj Bhavan. None of the Opposition leaders, barring Congress leader Malikayya Guttedar, attended the programme. Even the BJP’s central leaders stayed away.
The ceremony was attended by D.V. Sadananda Gowda, who quit to make way for Mr. Shettar, and his predecessor B S. Yeddyurappa, besides Mr. Ananth Kumar.
Karnataka is going the same way as Andhra Pradesh before TDP came to power for the first time, three CMs in a row from Congress in less than 5 years and people were fed up . Then NTR rose like a Sunami with the self-respect slogan and routed Congress. Some wiseman correctly said " there are no murders in politics only suicides". BJP is following the same track placating the unsupportable and will definitely face defeat in 2011 and Congress will have an undeserving win with a glee.
In addition to having two deputy CMs, it is also a record of sorts to have all the ministers to be of cabinet rank. Wonder how much it would cost to the public exchequer to make all these ministers to be of cabinet rank who enjoy more perks and benefits compared to ministers of state. The BJP is only concerned at keeping all the factions within the party happy, by giving equal benefits to all. They are not concerned about how they serve the public. This is the worst politics that could be seen anywhere in India from any party. This will cast a very corrupt and opportunistic image for the BJP even at the national level.
The seductive smile on the face of the Governor explains the opportunistic and avaricious overtures of the saffron clan.The new team will have to double up to fill their coffers with the loot as there is only 10 months left over.Oh,what a shame!
Henceforth the BJP would be known as BLP (Bharatiya Looters Party)
It is pernicious and mischievously purposed to describe Shettar as
"Lingayat leader" thus parochializing BJP's senior leader. Would your
scribe display enough courage to describe Sonia Maino as catholic
originally from Italy (with possible family connection with the
Mussolini regime) foisted on Indians by the Indira Congress. Stop
dividing our Hindu society which is the true inheritor of India's 5000
years of unbroken heritage,civilizational genius, uniqueness and ethos
continuously enriching the Human civilization as achknowledged and
celebrated universally.
BJP has made the democracy as mockery in Karnataka.Fresh mandate is the only honorable option to draw the state from this mess.
I do not understand, what are they rejoicing for.....
A sad state of affairs, where one guy who was forces to leave the Chair,
rules via his favorite proxy.
The whole routine of resigning, supporters apposing Sadananda Gowda's resignation, the grand swearing in ceremony and the supporters of the
new CM flooding Bangalore in Trucks, is staged and a complete farce, a
mockery on the intelligence of the people of Karnataka and more
generally India.
Indians have openly become sectarian; cast, creed, Language, Colour,
dominates over Intelligence and reason.
We already live in an elaborate system of failures, only the we would
never accept the failure. Would rather explain our present situation
than change it.
I don't know why news papers are making hype about his caste , then
why they are not reporting when Maratha person become CM of Maharashtra(why 99% CM of Maharashtra are Maratha ?? ) or Brahmin chief minster of other state like Bengal ?
I think while making news people should understand your are making
some impression in society about hos religious background but not of
his achievements .
As Lingayats are majority in state then who will become CM ? from
majority caste ?? otherwise you will again say this is not democracy .
This is a new low for BJP politcs. The BJP state leadership has evoked caste polilics which will surely have effect in the next state elections. This will be used by state cong leaders as golden opertunity to redeem themselves.
your photographer Bhagya Prakash has taken a sarcastic shot !!! this picture is equal to 1000 words!!! well done!
Two deputy chief ministers? I guess one deputy CM's post will not be
adequate to plunder the state coffers in the short time of 10 months...
There is something seriously wrong with the flavor of democracy in our
country...it's more like demoCRAZY!
who is next in a row to become CM of karnataka...?
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