Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Dec 5: The much-awaited meeting of Congress-JD(S) coordination committee is taking place in the city today. The committee, which was formed to help in the smooth running of the government by the two parties, would be meeting on Wednesday December 5 after a long gap.

In all likelihood, the meeting is expected to take a firm decision on ministry expansion and filling up of vacancies in corporations and boards. It is said that if there is consensus between the coalition partners on the issue, ministry expansion might take place on December 8 or 9.

Chairman of coordination committee Siddaramaiah

After the previous meeting of the committee on August 31, chairman of the committee Siddaramaiah had said that the ministry expansion would happen during September third week. But his words had not come true. As the bypoll, pointing towards which the expansion had been postponed, is over, the ministerial aspirants hope that their aspirations would be fulfilled by the leaderships of the parties.

In the recent past, there have been complaints about the government giving liberal grants to only those constituencies that are represented by JD(S) MLAs, and that recommendations of Congress legislators, in spite of the far outnumbering the JD(S) MLAs in the assembly, are not given importance by JD(S) ministers. There was also a growing dissent within the Congress about fielding JD(S) candidates in certain constituencies during the bypoll, which the Congressmen feel has allowed JD(S) to grow in strength and erosion of their party's standing.

The meeting is also expected to discuss about the rumour of BJP conducting Operation Lotus, implementation of schemes of the previous government and the ones announced by Siddaramaiah during the presentation of the budget also will figure prominently at the meeting, it is said.