The new ministers were allotted rooms in the Vidhana Soudha and Vikas Soudha on Wednesday, but the government is yet to give them portfolios, which is likely to take a couple of days.
“The portfolios will be allocated in a day or two,” Yediyurappa told reporters. Except C N Ashwathnarayan, Prabhu Chauhan, Shashikala Jolle and H Nagesh (Independent) who have been given rooms in Vikas Soudha, the other 13 ministers will work out of Vidhana Soudha, according to the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms.
Apparently, the disqualified MLAs have asked Yediyurappa to keep some plum portfolios reserved for them. The rebels have been disqualified as legislators and they have challenged that before the Supreme Court. It is understood that they have asked to be given plum portfolios such as water resources, revenue and Bengaluru development once they get relief legally, which will allow them to be inducted into the Cabinet.
Yediyurappa has 16 berths vacant in the Cabinet.
Meanwhile, disqualified MLAs Ramesh Jarkiholi, Mahesh Kumatahalli, S T Somashekar and Byrati Basavaraj left for Delhi on Wednesday and it is said that they want to hold talks with the BJP central leadership about their political future, what with BJP leader C P Yogeshwar accompanying them. Yogeshwar is said to have played a key role in luring the rebels.
K Sudhakar, one of the disqualified MLAs, clarified that they were headed to Delhi to meet their lawyers representing them in the Supreme Court, in their plea challenging their disqualification.