Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, May 27: There is expectation that Karnataka cabinet would undergo a surgery with the inclusion of some and dropping of some, within a few days. This exercise is necessary to keep the government intact from the tentacles of poachers, and to punish those ministers who were lax during the election, which caused embarrassment to both the parties.

As soon as the ruling coalition partners, the Congress and the JD(S), bit the dust at the hustings, the writing was in the wall about the likely action against those who failed to stand united with the other party during electioneering, and instead, gave prominence to personal matters rather than the interests of their respective parties.

The BJP is naturally belligerent at bagging 25 out of 27 it fought from among 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. This has given cause for the leaders in the government to worry because they feel that the eminent position of the BJP may give rise to an exodus of legislators to the saffron party. The fact that many legislators from the Congress and the JD(S) are unhappy for various reasons may make the matter easy for the BJP.

Currently, three vacancies exist in the ministry. The coalition partners are reportedly thinking in terms of convincing three ministers each from the Congress and the JD(S) to resign so that the total number of vacancies will rise to nine. It is said that during the post-result discussions, deputy chief minister, G Parameshwara, had informed Kumaraswamy that Congress ministers are prepared to step down to help the government to tide over the crisis. JD(S) already has a list of three whose poor performance during the election cost the party dearly in the form of defeat of H D Deve Gowda from Tumakuru and Nikhil Kumaraswamy from Mandya.

It is said that the chief minister wants the reshuffle to happen by Wednesday. Whether he could be able to beat this deadline and whether the cabinet reorganization will happen in one go is left to anybody's guess.