Yeddyurappa expands Ministry

BJP MLA Renukacharya being administered oath as a Minister by Karnataka Governor H S Bharadwaj at Raj Bhavan in Bangalore on Thursday. Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa looks on. Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

Bowing to pressure from dissidents, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Thursday inducted rebel MLA M P Renukacharya in his ministry.

With his induction as a cabinet minister, the strength of the ministry has risen to 34.

This is for the second time in two months that the Yeddyurappa ministry has been expanded under pressure from dissidents. Last month Jagadish Shettar, who had emerged as the rallying point for the rebels, was inducted in the ministry after he quit the post of assembly Speaker.

Mr. Renukacharya was sworn in by Governor H R Bhardwaj at the Raj Bhavan here at a brief function attended by the Chief Minister and some of his ministerial colleagues.

The induction of Mr. Renukacharya, who represents Honnali assembly constituency in Davanagere district, evoked protests from a section of ruling BJP legislators, but Mr. Yeddyurappa ignored them.