With the much awaited expansion of the Karnataka Cabinet slated some time in January, ministerial aspirants continued their lobbying by making a bee-line to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa's residence here.
As Yediyurappa has already made it clear that 11 of the disqualified legislators who got re-elected on BJP ticket during the December 5 bypolls, will be made Ministers during the expansion, lobbying has intensified for the five remaining berths in the Cabinet.
Currently there are 18 ministers including the Chief Minister in the Cabinet that has a sanctioned strength is 34.
According to sources, among those who met the Chief Minister at his residence on Tuesday include former minister and senior
legislator Umesh Katti, former Minister R Shankar and defeated party candidate from Hoskote during the bypolls MTB Nagaraj.
Though there is strong word within the party circles that Katti is most likely to be considered during the expansion, sources said,
it needs to be seen how Yediyurappa will maintain a balance, as his addition would increase the number of Ministers from Belagavi district to four.
There are already two Ministers-Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi and Women and Child Development Minister Shashikala Jolle from Belagavi- in the cabinet while newly elected BJP MLA from Gokak Ramesh Jarkiholi, who has been promised a ministerial berth, also hails from the district.
Kitti, an eight-time MLA was among the prominent senior BJP legislators who were miffed and sulking after failing to make it in the first round of cabinet expansion.
Shankar, who has been promised a Cabinet berth by Yediyurappa through MLC route, met the Chief Minister with an intention to ascertain his chances, sources said.
While giving a BJP ticket to Arun Kumar Guthur from Ranebennur and denying it to Shankar, a disqualified legislator, Yediyurappa had promised a Ministerial position by him making a MLC.