With the Ananth Kumar-Jagadish Shettar camp refusing to back down over demands for the posts of two deputy chief ministers as well as 18-22 portfolios including finance, the BJP government under its new chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda continued to be in crisis.
A party source said they
believed the Ananth Kumar camp was using the demand for the deputy CMs posts for R. Ashok and Shettar as a bargaining ploy and that their main aim was to wrest the finance and industry portfolios for their camp, adding “they knew very well the high command will not accept the demand for DCM posts.”
However highly placed sources in the party said the rival B.S. Yeddyurappa camp had now stepped up attempts to break the Kumar-Shettar camp. Former minister, M.P. Renukacharya, has reportedly sent feelers to some 20 MLAs including the 10 rebel MLAs, reinstated in the aftermath of the Supreme Court order.
The sources also said that party senior leaders in New Delhi discouraged Mr Shettar from coming to Delhi, telling him to sort out differences in Bengaluru.
Former chief minister B.S Yeddyurappa said to be formulating their own list of nominees, strongly opposed the proposal by the Reddy brothers to induct their associates as proxies in the Cabinet.
Operating from the party offices in Malleswaram, the Jagadish Shettar camp was closeted with the Reddys who want Somashekhar Reddy and Suresh Babu to take over their Cabinet berths.
The Reddys have not yet picked their third nominee. But Mr Yeddyurappa has reportedly told the chief minister that neither the Reddy brothers nor their nominees should be encouraged as it would send a wrong signal and the party may come under fresh criticism, sources said. Mr Gowda has apparently said he is willing to expand his cabinet to 34, up from Mr Yeddyurappa’s 26.
In a sign of his continued clout, several MLAs including Doddaballapur MLA, J. Narasimha Swamy, H.S. Shankaralinge Gowda, Nandish Reddy and S.R. Vishwanth and Jagalur MLA, S.R. Vishwanth visited the former CM. Mr Yeddyurappa who met his trusted lieutenants at his residence to chalk out his strategy remained opposed to handing over the finance portfolio to Mr Shettar.
Sources in the Shettar camp explained however that “ we would like the finance portfolio so that we can ensure that MLAs associated with us get funds. When Mr Yeddyurappa was the chief minister, he would not release funds to our constituencies.”
BJP national general secretary, Dhamendra Pradhan is likely to arrive in the city in a day or two to deal with the crisis.