Karnataka Cabinet expansion: 24 MLAs sworn in as ministers in Siddaramaiah Cabinet

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expanded his Cabinet and inducted 24 Ministers a week after assuming power in the state. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered them the oath of office and secrecy. 

The Karnataka government can have 34 ministers. Ten of them, including CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar, were sworn in on May 20. The Cabinet expansion was finalised after a lot of deliberations and was closely discussed with higher party officials in Delhi. CM Siddaramaiah reportedly released the list last night after returning from Delhi. 

An official statement said that CM Siddaramaiah has tried to strike a balance by giving caste and region-wise representation along with giving due respect to senior as well as junior MLAs.  

The Congress' list figures names of six Lingayats and four Vokkaligas. Three ministers are from Scheduled Castes, two from Scheduled Tribes and five from Other Backward Communities -- Kuruba, Raju, Maratha, Ediga and Mogaveera. One Brahmin candidate (Dinesh Gundu Rao) has also been inducted. 

Seven ministers each are from Old Mysuru and Kalyana Karnataka regions, six from Kittur Karnataka region and two from central Karnataka, have been inducted. Laxmi Hebbalkar is the only woman in the 34-member Cabinet. 

The following 24 ministers were inducted into the cabinet today: H.K. Patil, Krishna Byre Gowda, N. Cheluvarayaswamy, K. Venkatesh, H.C. Mahadevappa, Eshwar Khandre, Kyathasandra N. Rajanna, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Sharanabasappa Darshanapur, Shivanand Patil, Timmapur Ramappa Balappa, S. S. Mallikarjun, Tangadagi Shivaraj Sangappa, Sharanaprakash Rudrappa, Patil Mankal Vaidya, Laxmi R. Hebbalkar, Rahim Khan, D. Sudhakar, Santhosh S. Lad, N.S. Boseraju, Suresha B.S., Madhu Bangarappa, Dr. M.C. Sudhakar and B. Nagendra. 

The portfolios have not been allotted yet. State Minister KH Muniyappa said the portfolios will be announced by Saturday evening.