Yeddyurappa to expand cabinet next week

Bangalore: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, left, being offered a sweet by BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu after the Karnataka High Court upheld the disqualification of 11 party MLAs by the Assembly Speaker in Bangalore on Friday.

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa is likely to expand his ministry next week to fill up four of the six vacant ministerial berths, party sources said on Saturday. The move is seen as an effort to placate some of the ministerial aspirants, who had earlier threatened to join the ranks of rebels.

Sources said the BJP’s Core Committee, which met after the state high court upheld disqualification of 11 rebels MLAs, has given the nod to the Chief Minister to undertake the expansion exercise. The ministry expansion is likely to take place either on November 3 or 5, the sources said.

They said Mr Yeddyurappa’s plan to keep two berths vacant to check possible dissidence in the aftermath of ministry expansion has been accepted by the party.