Shobha Karandlaje, Karnataka Rural Development Minister and the only woman in Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa’s Cabinet once again finds herself a player in the rebellion against the CM by MLAs in the ruling BJP. The Reddy brothers seem to have added her removal from the ministry to their primary aim of dislodging Yeddyurappa and concentrating power in their hands in the ongoing power struggle in the Karnataka unit of the BJP.

Karandlaje who is known to be close to the Chief Minister and whose fortunes have risen along with Yeddyurappa’s, has constantly figured in the power struggles between Yeddyurappa and his rivals within the party. The story of the now 67-year-old Yeddyurappa and the 44-year-old Shobha Karandlaje runs along the lines of that of Kalyan Singh and Kusum Rai in Uttar Pradesh. Their association constantly draws sniggers and snide remarks in private and many political rivals of Yeddyurappa use the chief minister’s proximity to Karandlaje to target him in times of crisis.

Yeddyurappa, on the other hand, has reposed great trust in Karandlaje, giving rise to complaints among MLAs that the Rural Development Minister is the de facto chief minister. A frequent complaint against Yeddyurappaa is that MLAs frequently hit a wall in terms of addressing demands of their electorate since Karandlaje, and the chief minister’s principal secretary V P Baligar — another player in the current crisis — control the decisions. Karandlaje is also charged with hogging the limelight and interfering in the affairs of all ministries.

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