Karnataka Polls: On last leg, BJP to bet on castes for Cabinet after Makar Sankranti
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, January 8: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has task on hand in the poll bound Karnataka to get the caste equations right in the Cabinet expansion likely after January 14, the Makar Sankranti, when the ‘inauspicious days’ would get over. The BJP is learnt to have zeroed in on a few faces which are compelling choices for the saffron outfit to cut into the vote base of Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular).
Sources said that the BJP has to address the aspirations of some of the communities such as Valmiki, Kuruba, Yadava, and Dalits to get the ‘script perfect’ for the Assembly elections likely in April-May this year. Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah toured the state in the last few days followed by the BJP chief JP Nadda. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be carrying much of the electioneering weight in the state, as he has already been to the poll bound state thrice in the last three months to inaugurate a slew of showpiece projects, including the terminal II of the airport in Bengaluru.
“There is a serious thinking to give representation in the state cabinet, which may take place any time after Sankranti,” said a senior BJP functionary. He stated that hectic parleys have been held over the Cabinet expansion, which has been long overdue. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had held deliberations with Shah in the national capital last month.
“Ramesh Jarkiholi, who hails from the Valmiki, a scheduled tribe, is seen to be in the reckoning for induction in the Cabinet. Valmikis are crucial for the BJP in the Karnataka polls, as they have sizeable presence in at least 35 Assembly seats in the state,” said another BJP functionary. B. Sriramulu, the minister in Karnataka, is the mainstay of the BJP to appeal to the Valmikis in Karnataka.
Poornima Srinivas, who hails from the Yadava community, is also seen to be in the reckoning for induction in the Cabinet. He hails from the Chitradurga district in Karnataka. She is currently the chairperson of the women and child development committee.
“Baburao Chinchansur, a Dalit, who was earlier with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge from Kalburgi district, is also a high probable to be drafted into the state Cabinet,” said the BJP functionary. He was previously a minister and won the byelections for the legislative council last year.
The BJP is learnt to be taking a hard look at former minister K. S. Eshwarappa, who hails from the Kuruba community, to bring him back in the state Cabinet headed by Bommai. The BJP is keen to get the caste equation right with the Cabinet expansion to beat the anti-incumbency factor against the party.
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