As anticipated, State Congress president and a rebel leader G Parameshwara made it to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s Cabinet which was expanded on Thursday.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who is facing a rebellion in the party after hectic parleys got clearance from the party high command to expand his Cabinet. Even though Siddaramaiah succeeded in not creating a Deputy Chief Minister’s post, another power centre which is opposed by the lobby supported by the Chief Minister, has to face many disgruntled elements in the party.
Siddaramaiah in the process of appeasing the dominant communities also inducted three more faces to his 34 member ministry. Others who joined are Manohar Tahsildar, A Manju and Vinay Kulkarni, the latter two as Ministers of State. Manju and Kulkarni belong to the dominant Vokkaliga and lingayat community, respectively, and Tahsildar is from the backward Balija caste with the move as an attempt to bring community and regional balance. Parameshwara, who had served as minister twice, heads a group of educational institutions.