Will not get berth, Gowda & son upset with me: Basavaraj Horatti

Bengaluru: Not so long ago he saw the post of  Legislative Council Chairman slip away from him and now senior Janata Dal (S) leader, Basavaraj Horatti may not make it to the state Cabinet either, according to party sources.

The JD(S), which has two slots vacant in the Cabinet, is reportedly keen on giving them to scheduled caste and minority leaders, leaving no scope for Mr Horatti to fill them either.

While he has openly acknowledged his disappointment at losing out to the Congress in the race for the Council Chairmanship although he was its pro-tem Chairman and widely tipped to take over the post, Mr Horatti is not likely to lobby for a Cabinet berth, according to sources close to him.

The JD(S)leader has apparently seen the writing on the wall and  is not keen on chasing a ministerial position as he believes he has fallen out of favour with both party supremo, H D Deve Gowda and Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who reportedly blame him for the party's poor presence in North Karnataka.  

"The father and son are upset with Mr Horatti because they feel he has not done enough to build the party in North Karnataka and believe he should not be rewarded with a Cabinet berth," say sources.

While it was rumoured that a Lingayat leader from Vijayapura, M.C. Managooli would be dropped from the Cabinet on health grounds to make way for him,  Mr Horatti had made it clear during his recent visit to Vijayapura that he did not want any minister to be dropped  to accommodate him. 

Considering his stance, his chances of making it to the Cabinet seem bleak, added sources.