Karnataka Cabinet Expansion: 20 New Ministers Sworn In, Siddaramaiah Meets New MLAs

Karnataka Cabinet Expansion: Newly inducted MLAs meet Siddaramaiah ahead of oath-taking ceremony

Bengaluru, August 3

Speaking to ANI, senior Congress leader Basavaraj Rayareddi confirmed that he had received official communication regarding his induction into the state Cabinet.

"Today I received official communication. Chief Minister DK Shivakumar personally spoke to me, informing me that I have been included in his Cabinet, and invited me to take the oath. I am very thankful to the Chief Minister. Secondly, I am grateful to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, all the high command members, and especially our former Chief Minister and leader Siddaramaiah," Rayareddi said.

Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad also expressed gratitude to the party leadership for giving him an opportunity to serve in the Cabinet.

"Of course, the party leadership has given me an opportunity. Rahul Gandhi has particularly preferred younger people to be in the Cabinet, and I am one of them. I personally thank our leader Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and especially Randeep Surjewala and KC Venugopal, who have made it possible for young people like me who came from the cadre to sit in the government today," Arshad told ANI.

Earlier in the day, the Congress high command approved the expansion of the DK Shivakumar-led Karnataka Cabinet, clearing the names of 20 ministers, including one woman, Gayathri Shanthegowda. 12 new faces get a chance, while 8 incumbent ministers are retained in the new cabinet composition.

According to an official press release, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge approved the induction of 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, Ajay Singh, N Chaluvaraya Swamy, KM Shivalinge Gowda, HC Balakrishna, Gayathri Shanthegowda, Basavaraj Rayareddi, Vijayanand Kashappanavar, and Laxman Savadi as ministers.

The oath-taking ceremony of the Karnataka cabinet expansion will take place at 04:05 PM at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru.

Among the approved names, Gayathri Shanthegowda is the only woman minister. The list also includes several new entrants to the cabinet, including PM Narendraswamy, KS Basavanthappa, T. Raghumoorthy, Putturangashetty, Ajay Singh, and Gayathri Shanthegowda, while several former ministers are making a return to the Council of Ministers.

The Congress high command also approved appointments to key positions in the Karnataka Legislature. G. S. Patil has been cleared for the post of Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, A. S. Ponnanna for Deputy Speaker, Saleem Ahmed for Chairperson of the Legislative Council, and Umashree for Deputy Chairperson of the Legislative Council.

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge said the final decision on the cabinet expansion rested with the Congress high command.

Speaking to reporters, Kharge said, "The high command is deciding on it, and we are expecting it to be announced today. We have more than 140 MLAs. We have MLAs in every district. We have MLAs in every community. We have a lot of capable leaders. We have depth in leadership. So, it is going to be difficult to pick only 30 out of the 140 legislators we have."

The D.K. Shivakumar ministry represents the current council of ministers in Karnataka, formed following a leadership transition. Operating under the leadership of Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, the administration features a mix of key cabinet members including G. Parameshwara, KH Muniyappa, KJ George, MB Patil, Ramalinga Reddy, Satish Jarkiholi, Krishna Byre Gowda, Priyank Kharge, UT Khader, Eshwara Khandre, Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Byrathi Suresh, and Sharan Prakash Patil.

— ANI