Karnataka expands cabinet, 20 netas take oath; DKS hits back on ministerial berth row

Karnataka cabinet expansion: 20 ministers inducted, DKS responds to MLAs left out

NEW DELHI: Twenty new ministers were inducted into the Karnataka government on Monday as chief minister DK Shivakumar expanded his Cabinet to its full strength, two months after taking office. The swearing-in ceremony took place at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru after Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot approved the expansion.The Cabinet expansion increased the strength of the ministry to the sanctioned limit of 34, including the chief minister.Among those sworn in were PM Narendraswamy, Shivaraj Tangadagi, Rudrappa Lamani, KS Basavanthappa, B Nagendra, T Raghumoorthy, BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rizwan Arshad, Santosh Lad, Madhu Bangarappa, Putturangashetty, SS Mallikarjun, Dr Ajay Singh, N Chaluvaraya Swamy, KM Shivalinge Gowda, HC Balakrishna, Gayathri Shanthegowda, Basavaraj Rayareddi, Vijayanand Kashappanavar and Laxman Savadi.The Congress high command also approved GS Patil as the new Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and AS Ponnanna as the Deputy Speaker. Saleem Ahmed was named Chairman of the Legislative Council, while Umashree was appointed Deputy Chairperson.Ahead of the ceremony, Congress MLAs Yashavantarayagouda V Patil (Indi) and Belur Gopalakrishna (Sagar) resigned from the Karnataka Legislative assembly after being left out of the Cabinet.Patil claimed his name had been included in the list until Monday morning but was removed from the final list released by the party.”I was promised a ministerial post even before the 2023 Assembly polls. Later, I was told it would happen after 2.5 years, but the promise was not kept. I have no other choice,” he said.He added that he was not resigning from the Congress but felt compelled to step down as MLA, calling it an insult to the people of his constituency. His supporters also staged a protest in Bengaluru over his exclusion.Reacting to the disappointment among party legislators, Shivakumar urged them to remain patient.”There are many MLAs. It is not possible to accommodate everyone. Earlier, I too missed out on a ministerial berth in Siddaramaiah’s Cabinet. But didn’t I become a minister later? Similarly, we will provide opportunities to everyone in the future,” the chief minister said.He also said, “I request them to be patient. We will create opportunities for everyone.”The expansion saw the return of several former ministers, including B Nagendra, who had resigned from the previous Siddaramaiah government in 2024 over allegations linked to the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation scam.

Former Deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi and senior leader Zameer Ahmed Khan were also among those inducted.However, several senior Congress leaders from the previous government, including H C Mahadevappa, H K Patil, Dinesh Gundu Rao, K Venkatesh, M C Sudhakar and Laxmi Hebbalkar were not included in the new Cabinet.Gayathri Shanthegowda is the only woman inducted in the expanded ministry. Three children of former chief ministers are now part of the Cabinet: Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Madhu Bangarappa and Dr Ajay Singh.