The wait for ministerial expansion in Karnataka will continue indefinitely as the party central leadership is said to be not inclined to allow it when the State may be compelled to hold elections to a slew of local bodies. They include elections to zilla and taluk panchayats besides the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) council, depending upon the impact of the Supreme Court’s directive on holding elections to local bodies in Madhya Pradesh.
It is learnt that the BJP central leadership wants its Karnataka unit to focus now on these elections which are crucial for strengthening the party organisation as well as cadre ahead of the 2023 Assembly polls.
Though a clear picture on whether the elections to ZPs, TPs, and the BBMP council will have to be held immediately is yet to emerge, the party central leadership is reportedly keen that priority should be given to preparing for these polls rather than ministerial expansion.
While the ZP and TP polls are a major platform for strengthening the party in rural areas, small towns, and semi-urban areas, the BBMP is crucial as it accounts for 28 Assembly seats — the biggest chunk in the 224-member State Assembly.
Also, the BJP high command is said to be not taking lightly even the elections to the Upper House of the State legislature scheduled on June 3 as it is an opportunity for the party to get a full majority in the 75-member Legislative Council which would help it bring in Bills related to its core ideology.
Such a mood of the party high command would suggest that the ministerial expansion may be put off indefinitely for now, sources in the BJP said, though Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai maintained that “anything can happen at anytime” on ministerial expansion.
He wound up his two-day visit to New Delhi on Wednesday after holding consultations with Union Home Minister and BJP key strategist Amit Shah on ministerial expansion as well as various political developments, including the possible impact of the apex court order on holding elections to local bodies.
Mr. Bommai, who could not meet party national president J.P. Nadda, said Mr. Shah had indicated to him that a decision on ministerial expansion would be made by the party central leadership in two or three days after studying all the political developments.
“A decision on ministerial expansion would be made based on the overall political developments that include issues related to the impact of the Supreme Court order on holding elections to local bodies. The situation has been explained to Mr. Shah. The next week is going to be very crucial. He has said that he would convey his decision after studying issues related to local body elections, which are very crucial for the State,” Mr. Bommai said.
He also made it clear that his consultations with Mr. Shah did not reach the level of discussing the names of probables for inclusion in the Cabinet.
