Bengaluru, Sep 2 (DHNS): The rift between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and state Congress president G Parameshwara widened on Friday with the former expanding his council of ministers.

Parameshwara and many senior party leaders kept away from Friday’s swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan where three new ministers took oath.

Parameshwara is said to be upset with Siddaramaiah for not taking him into confidence before selecting candidates for the expansion, sources in the party said.

The sources said Parameshwara was in favour of Tiptur MLA K Shadakshari under the Lingayat quota since it would have helped him woo the Lingayat community in his constituency, Koratagere, which is adjacent to Tiptur. Parameshwara is of the opinion that though Shadakshari’s name was shortlisted, Siddaramaiah decided to induct Geetha Mahadeva Prasad (also a Lingayat) and wife of former minister the late H S Mahadeva Prasad to nurture his own political constituency, sources said.

Mahadeva Prasad was a prominent Lingayat leader in the Mysuru-Chamarajnagar belt and had close ties with the influential Suttur Math. There are a considerable number of Lingayat voters in the 15 Assembly constituencies coming under this belt including Siddaramaiah’s Varuna, which he is now grooming for his son Yathindra. Siddaramaiah himself is planning to contest from Chamundeshwari, which also comes under this belt in next year’s Assembly polls.

It was felt that Geetha’s induction into the council of ministers will help Congress electorally at a time when the BJP is trying to make inroads in the Mysuru-Chamarajnagar region. Siddaramaiah, it is said, got sufficient feelers in this regard during his two-day stay in the region earlier this week.

Besides, Parameshwara (who is a Dalit Right) had been supporting the demand for inducting a person belonging to Dalit (Right). Instead, the Chief Minister chose Dalit (Left) wing and inducted R B Timmapur, much to the chagrin of Parameshwara.