Just after hundred days in governance, the coalition Government of the JD(S) and the Congress captained by HD Kumaraswamy has announced that there will be a Cabinet expansion as well as appointment of heads to the boards and corporations. The coalition partner Congress which is facing a major rebellion is politically trying to assuage the hurt feelings of MlAs by dangling carrot. Just after the meeting of the coordination committee of the coalition its chairman and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that the Government headed by Kumaraswamy will last the full term in office and also prominently indicated that there will be a Cabinet expansion in the last week of September.
Significantly this happened after Kumaraswamy who heads a fragile coalition with the help of Congress met the Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in Delhi and it is reported that Kumaraswamy had complained to Rahul Gandhi about Siddaramaiah and his pinpricks to the Government. Siddaramaiah did not shunned his ambition to become Chief Minister again and his supporters in the Congress are regrouping against Kumaraswamy led Government. To quell the rebellion aiming at the 2019 general elections to defeat the BJP, the Congress high command has asked Siddaramaiah not to be fiddling with the Government which is crucial for the opposition unity to take on mighty BJP.
However a close aide of Siddaramaiah who is a contact between JDs and Congress has said there will not be any expansion in near future but it was to keep the rebellion at bay. He said “ The party high command is aware of the fluid political situation in the State. The party leadership is also aware of the rebellion in the party. At this juncture to assuage the feelings of those trying to breakaway an announcement has been made. It is nothing but a political tactics.”
Coalition Government in Karnataka which came into power on August 31 has kept BJP, the single largest party with 104 seats away creating political hyper drama by the congress by check mating the BJP and its game plan. The Congress and its chief Rahul Gandhi see this as a platform to bring all the opposition parties together to halt the run of the BJP. But the constant attacks against each other show the instability of the Government and also its life.
The coalition Government with post poll alliance between the Congress and the JDs has shared the berths to 22 to congress and 12 to JDs in the 34 berths. However 7 seats are vacant and the fight is on for the seven births.
The general impression in both parties was the expansion would take place after coalition committee chairman P.C. Siddaramaiah returned from an upcoming visit to Europe. However at this juncture Congress will not take any chances and it might happen in December after the upcoming polls in Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan which are crucial for the party.
Among the main dissidents waiting to be accommodated are M.B. Patil, H.K. Patil, Tanveer Sait and Satish Jharkiholi who even resigned as AICC secretary after being passed over for a cabinet berth. Siddaramaiah sparked a major political controversy by saying that he would be back as chief minister again. However Siddaramaiah said "Media reports have misquoted me. I had said that I will become chief minister only if the people bless me in the next Assembly election."
Congress party has openly denied any threat to coalition Government in Karnataka headed by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy.
The major opposition BJP is attacking coalition Government and said it will fall on its own. The BJP strongman BS Yeddyurappa has predicted that the Government will fall on its own and not to blame the BJP. In another development a senior Ccongress leader B. Chinchansoor joined the
BJP giving a jolt to the Congress in the Hyderabad Karnataka region.