Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has assigned portfolios to ministers in his Cabinet, with himself retaining the Finance department while deputy DK Shivakumar has been entrusted with the crucial Irrigation and Bengaluru City Development departments.
Following his oath of office alongside Shivakumar and eight ministers on May 20, Siddaramaiah expanded the Cabinet to its full strength by inducting 24 new ministers on Saturday after extensive consultations with the Congress’ central leadership.
In a late-night notification released on Sunday, the Karnataka government announced the allocation of portfolios. G Parameshwara, who previously held the Home department, has once again been assigned the same portfolio. MB Patil has been appointed as the new Minister of Large and Medium Industries, while KJ George will oversee the Energy department.
Apart from retaining the Finance department, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has kept the Cabinet Affairs, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Intelligence, Information, IT and BT, Infrastructure Development, and all unallocated portfolios under his purview.
Deputy CM DK Shivakumar has been given the crucial responsibilities of Major and Medium Irrigation and Bengaluru City Development. This includes overseeing 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 having five MLAs from Bengaluru in the Cabinet, Shivakumar, hailing from the neighboring Ramanagara district, has been entrusted with the Bengaluru City Development department, a significant portfolio considering the upcoming BBMP polls.
HK Patil has been assigned the Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Legislation, and Tourism portfolios, while KH Muniyappa, a former Union minister, has been appointed as the Minister of Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs.
The other portfolio allocations include Ramalinga Reddy as the Minister of Transport and Muzrai, Dinesh Gundu Rao as the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, HC Mahadevappa overseeing the Social Welfare department, and Satish Jarakiholi taking charge of Public Works.
Priyank Kharge, son of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, has been appointed as the Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Shivanand Patil as the Minister of Textiles and Sugarcane Development, and BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan as the Minister of Housing, Wakf, and Minority Welfare.
Laxmi R Hebbalkar, the only woman in the Cabinet, will oversee the Women and Child Development as well as Disabled and Senior Citizens Empowerment portfolios. The Minister of Medical Education and Skill Development will be Sharanaprakash Rudrappa Patil.
The remaining ministers have been assigned various portfolios ranging from Excise and Animal Husbandry to Backward Class, Kannada and Culture, Planning and Statistics, Urban Development and Town Planning, Primary and Secondary Education, Higher Education, Minor Irrigation, Science and Technology, and many more.
Although the Cabinet expansion witnessed some discontent within the Congress, with several MLAs missing out on ministerial positions, party leaders have worked towards pacifying them.
In the recent elections held on May 10 for the 224-member assembly, the Congress secured 135 seats, while the BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) led by former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda secured 66 and 19 seats, respectively.
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