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Karnataka Cabinet expansion today with members of Congress, Janata Dal and lone BSP member
Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy carried out the first expansion of the cabinet, but neither the Congress nor the Janata Dal (S) will fill up all the berths while the lone Bahujan Samaj Party MLA N Mahesh is set to take oath as a minister.The 15-day-old H D Kumaraswamy ministry in Karnataka was expanded on 5 June with the induction of 25 ministers.
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Fourteen ministers are from the Congress, nine from its ruling coalition partner JDS and one each from the BSP and the KPJP. Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers at a ceremony at Raj Bhavan.
The oath-taking ceremony, two weeks after Kumaraswamy took charge, took place at 2:12pm at the Governor’s residence, which is an ‘auspicious time’, a senior Congress leader said.
H D Revanna, son of former Prime Minister and JD (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda and state senior Congress leaders D K Shivakumar were among those who took oath.
JDS’ G T Deve Gowda, who defeated former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the Chamundeshwari constituency in Mysuru in the Assembly polls was also inducted. Congress MLC Jayamala was the lone woman minister inducted into the cabinet. The lone BSP legislator in Karnataka, N Mahesh, will also be a part of the cabinet expansion and will be given a key portfolio.
K J George(Congress), MC Manguli (JDS), S R Srinivas (JDS), Priyank Kharge (Congress), Zameer Ahmed (Congress), R Shankar (KPJP) among those who took oath as ministers in Karnataka Government.
With intense lobbying by MLAs on both sides, the parties have decided to expand the Cabinet in two phases, said JD(S) national secretary general Kunwar Danish Ali.“As they were our pre-poll allies we have decided that they should be included in our Cabinet,” Ali said with about the appointment of lone BSP legislator N Mahesh.
Senior Congress leaders from the state, including former chief minister Siddaramaiah and party strongman DK Shivakumar, met party president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Tuesday to finalise the portfolios.
The two parties had decided to split the 34 ministries in the ratio of 2:1. As a result, the Congress will get 22 ministries and the JD(S) 12, including the chief minister’s post.
With today’s swearing-in, the strength of the ministry stands at 27, with seven more vacancies.
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