Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is likely to change the district in-charge minister of Chamarajanagara district. Presently U T Khader, minister for Food and Civil Supplies is the district in-charge minister.

According to the reliable sources, with the idea of keeping the Lingayat vote bank intact, the chief minister wants to appoint sugar minister Geetha Mahadevaprasad as the new district in-charge minister. U T Khader is expected to get Kodagu district in-charge minister post.

According to the sources, by appointing former minister V Somanna as the Chamarajanagara in charge leader, BJP is trying to snatch the Lingayat vote bank of Chamarajanagara and Mysuru districts. To foil that bid, Siddaramaiah who is heavily relying on Lingayat votes in both the districts to repeat 2013 performance wants to replace Khader with a Lingayat face.

“Final decision will be taken by Wednesday evening,” informed sources in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).