Surjewala joined chief minister DK Shivakumar in efforts to contain the political fallout from Monday’s cabinet expansion, which has triggered intense lobbying for key portfolios and resentment among MLAs denied ministerial berths. As part of the outreach, Surjewala visited the residence of senior MLA M Krishnappa. Both Krishnappa and his son, Govindarajanagar MLA Priya Krishna, are Congress legislators.
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Their supporters had staged a protest outside the party office on Tuesday over their exclusion from the cabinet. While the immediate threat of resignations appeared to have eased, discontent persisted within the ruling party. Indi MLA Yeshwantharayagouda Patil withdrew his resignation, while Sagar MLA Belur Gopalakrishna did not follow through on his threat to quit the assembly. But fresh signs of unrest emerged in Chikkaballapur, where Congress MLAs from the district boycotted an official meeting convened by district in-charge minister Byrathi Suresh.
The legislators protested the absence of representation for Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts in the expanded cabinet. The Congress also faces a challenge in the Legislative Council after its decision to nominate senior MLC Saleem Ahmed as chairman met with resistance from incumbent Basavaraj Horatti. Sources said Horatti declined to step down after being informed of the party’s decision by the CM.
