Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has allocated portfolios to ministers in his Cabinet, with himself retaining the Finance department. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has been assigned the Irrigation and Bengaluru City Development departments. The Chief Minister expanded the Cabinet by inducting 24 new ministers on Saturday, after taking the oath of office with DK Shivakumar and eight ministers on May 20.
In a late-night notification, the Karnataka government announced the allocation of portfolios. G Parameshwara, who previously handled the Home department, has once again been assigned the portfolio. MB Patil has been appointed as the new Large and Medium Industries minister, while KJ George has been given the Energy department portfolio.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has retained the Cabinet Affairs, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Intelligence, Information, IT and BT, Infrastructure Development, and all unallocated portfolios, in addition to the Finance department. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has been given the important Major and Medium Irrigation and Bengaluru City Development portfolios, including the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Bangalore Development Authority, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority, and the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited.
Despite five MLAs from Bengaluru being ministers in the Cabinet, DK Shivakumar has been allocated the Bengaluru City Development department, which holds significance in light of the upcoming BBMP polls.
Other portfolio allocations include Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Legislation, and Tourism to HK Patil, Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs to KH Muniyappa, Transport, and Muzrai to Ramalinga Reddy, Health and Family Welfare to Dinesh Gundu Rao, Social Welfare to HC Mahadevappa, and Public Works to Satish Jarakiholi.
Priyank Kharge, son of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, has been appointed as the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj minister. The Cabinet also includes ministers for Textiles, Sugarcane Development, and Agricultural Marketing; Housing, Wakf, and Minority Welfare; Small Scale Industries and Public Enterprises; Forest, Ecology, and Environment; Agriculture; Mines and Geology; Horticulture; Municipal Administration and Haj; Labour; Women and Child Development and Disabled and Senior Citizens Empowerment; Medical Education and Skill Development; Excise; Animal Husbandry and Sericulture; Backward Class, Kannada, and Culture; Planning and Statistics; Youth Services, Sports, and ST Welfare; Co-operation; Urban Development and Town Planning; Fisheries and Ports, Inland Transport; Primary and Secondary Education; Higher Education; and Minor Irrigation, Science, and Technology.
The Cabinet expansion caused some disgruntlement within the Congress, with several MLAs who had aspirations of becoming ministers but missed out needing to be pacified by party leaders.
In the May 10 elections, the Congress secured 135 seats out of the 224-member assembly, while the BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) led by former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda secured 66 and 19 seats, respectively.
