CM Siddaramaiah to fill 3 cabinet vacancies next week

Chief minister Siddaramaiah is learnt to have got his entire wish list approved by the Congress high command on Thursday .

He's got the green signal to fill the three vacancies in the cabinet, field former MP CM Ibrahim for the legislative council bypoll and give the home portfolio to forest minister B RaSiddara manath Rai.

The three vacancies will be filled next week with K Shadakshari, a Lingayat (MLA from Tiptur), HM Revanna (Kuruba) and RB Thimmapur (Scheduled Caste), both MLCs, taking oath as ministers. Siddaramaiah did the biggest cabinet reshuffle in June 2016, when he dropped 14 ministers and inducted 13. He filled up the only vacancy in September.

The three vacancies follow the death of minister HS Mahadev Prasad, resignation of minister HY Meti after a video involving him was circulated, and G Parameshwara quitting after his term as KPCC president was continued. Rai is expected to handle home ministry, which Siddaramaiah has looking after after Parameshwara quit. Rai, who is from Bantwal, is an old Congressman and was put in charge of managing law & order when RSS activist Sharath Madivala was stabbed to death in July .

Ibrahim has been Siddaramaiah's confidant since his JD(S) days. In the past few months, he vented his ire a couple of times on the CM's style of functioning and there was speculation of him joining the JD(S). Giving this good orator an MLC ticket seems to be one way of stopping him from quitting the Congress. The bypoll to the council will be held on August 31. The last date for filing nomination papers is August 21and for withdrawal is August 24.

Siddaramaih said: "I have discussed the cabinet and other issues with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Let's see what he decides.''

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