Karnataka Cabinet Expanded After Two Months; 19 Sworn In, Women Unrepresented
Bengaluru, May 27: The Congress government in Karnataka, led by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, expanded its Cabinet on Monday by inducting 19 legislators. The expansion, which took place two months after the government was sworn in with 13 ministers, followed intense lobbying by more than 50 hopefuls.
Eight of those inducted are first-time ministers. They include P.M. Narendraswamy, Rizwan Arshad, Ajay Singh (son of former Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh), T. Raghumurthy, H.C. Balakrishna, K.S. Basavanthappa, K.M. Shivalingegowda and Vijayanand Kashappanavar. Six legislators who served in the second tenure of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah have returned to the Cabinet: Santhosh Lad, Shivaraj Tangadagi, Madhu Bangarappa, N. Cheluvarayaswamy, S.S. Mallikarjun and B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan.
B. Nagendra, who resigned from Siddaramaiah's Cabinet after his name surfaced in a financial scam involving the Valmiki Development Corporation and was later arrested, also made a comeback. Three former ministers from Siddaramaiah's first term (2013–2018) – Basavaraj Rayaraddi, Rudrappa Lamani and Puttarangashetty – have been accommodated. Laxman Savadi, a Lingayat leader from Belagavi district who served as Deputy Chief Minister in the BJP government under B.S. Yediyurappa from 2019 to 2021, was also inducted.
However, the Cabinet does not have any woman representation. A.V. Gayatri Shanthegowda, whose name appeared in the initial list of legislators, was not sworn in. The party kept one berth vacant after pressure mounted, although it had initially decided to fill the entire quota of 34.
Prominent leaders from Siddaramaiah's Cabinet who missed out include H.K. Patil, Dinesh Gundurao, N.S. Boseraju, H.C. Mahadevappa, K. Venkatesh, Shivanand Patil, M.C. Sudhakar, Rahim Khan, Lakshmi Hebbalkar and R.B. Thimmapur.
The Congress party also announced its nominees for the posts of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council. Four-time legislator G.S. Patil and first-time legislator A.S. Ponnanna, who was legal adviser to Siddaramaiah, have been named for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker posts respectively. Senior leader Saleem Ahmed and former Minister S. Umashree have been nominated for the Chairman and Deputy Chairman positions in the Legislative Council.
The Speaker's post fell vacant after U.T. Khader was inducted into the Cabinet, while the Deputy Speaker's post will fall vacant with the inclusion of Rudrappa Lamani. In the Upper House, Chairman Basavaraj Horatti, elected on a BJP ticket, is expected to step down after the Congress attained majority, and Deputy Chairman M.K. Pranesh has resigned.
Addressing legislators after the swearing-in, Chief Minister Shivakumar appealed for patience. "We will create one or the other opportunity and legislators have to remain patient. There are many aspirants and many are eligible. The party will decide sometime. I was not taken to Cabinet in 2004 and I was not inducted into Siddaramaiah's Cabinet initially. I remained patient then," he said.
