NewDelhi: New Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai, who is on his first visit to Delhi after becoming the chief minister, called on PM Modi at his residence and discussed on a variety of issues related to the development of the state.
Earlier in the day, Bommai met with Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, and other prominent ministers and MP’s related to Karnataka. Where he also hosted a lunch party for state MPs at Hotel Ashoka.
Bommai, who succeeded B S Yediyurappa’s as new Karnataka CM after the former resigned and he took oath on Wednesday after being selected as the leader of the party legislature in Bangalore.
While replying to media questions Bommai said that ‘the imminent cabinet expansion likely to happen early within next week since he is busy monitoring rising Covid cases and floods cases various districts of the state.
Bommai, in his maiden visit to Delhi as CM, said he “explained the necessity of early cabinet expansion” to BJP president J P Nadda in his meeting earlier in the day.
He reiterated that though he got the nod for expansion we haven’t discussed the list of the probables, but assured him of an early decision on that,” he told reporters here.
Bommai said he may visit Delhi to discuss the expansion issue again for which he has also sought time from the BJP top brass.
Karnataka cabinet expansion will be the first big challenge before Bommai since he has to do the balancing act to satisfy various factions. He had to juggle to allot ministries between the party old guards and new MLA’s who joined the BJP after leaving the Congress-JD(S) coalition in 2019.
Meanwhile, on a question about authority, Bommai, made it clear that his govt will not be a rubber stamp. He also told the media that he discussed flood and the status of Covid vaccination and its shortage in the state while meeting with PM Modi.
