There has been a political scuffle in the state of Karnataka. The BJP party in Karnataka is looking to expand the state cabinet ahead of the Assembly’s monsoon session, touted to begin on September 21. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, in his two-day visit to New Delhi, met PM Modi and several union ministers to review this issue among others relevant to developmental works. Sources close to Yediyurappa say that he has offered to draft five new ministers to the cabinet. Currently, there are six vacancies. As per the sources, Members of Legislative Council MTB Nagaraj and R Shankar alias Pendulum Shankar, are very likely to be inducted into the cabinet. 

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The CM of Karnataka has also requested the high command that Hukkeri legislator Umesh Katti's name be recognized, as he had promised the MLA a ministerial berth in 2019. Yediyurappa is supposed to have told the party high command that he has to keep up his promises to the leaders, who had helped bring down the Congress-JD(S) alliance government in 2019. However, the high command is unwilling to offer AH Vishwanath a ministerial berth. Closed sources to BJP said that Mahadevapura MLA Aravind Limbavali is also an aspirant for the ministerial position, but is unlikely to get the spot as he was mired in a controversy earlier in 2019. 

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MLA Limbavali requested the High Court, which issued a gag order on the media from narrating the controversy. "Bijapur MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal is also an aspirant. There is MLA Renukacharya. Besides, MLC CP Yogeeshwar is also an aspirant. There is Vedavyas Kamath and Bharath Shetty from the coastal region," the source said.  However, party sources said that the aspirants, who cannot be accommodated, would be given the option of chairing state-run boards or corporations. 

Met Dept predicts heavy rainfall in these areas of Karnataka