Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah allocates portfolios, Shivakumar to handle Bengaluru City Development

Newly elected Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has allocated portfolios for the ministers in his cabinet. The CM kept the Finance department for himself while assigning Irrigation and Bengaluru City Development to Deputy CM DK Shivakumar.

In addition to the Finance Department, the CM has kept Cabinet Affairs, Intelligence, Information, IT and BT, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms and Infrastructure Development, PTI reported. 

Deputy CM Shivakumar’s portfolio has Major and Medium Irrigation and Bengaluru City development,  including 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, Shivakumar, who hails from the neighbouring Ramanagara district, was the frontrunner for Bengaluru City Development. The decision was made while considering the upcoming BBMP polls.

G Parameshwara, former Home Minister of Karnataka, has returned to the position. MB Patil is the new Large and Medium Industries minister, and KJ Geroge has been given the Energy Department. 

Priyank Kharge, son of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, is the new Rural Development and Panchayati Raj minister.

Ramalinga Reddy has been made the minister for Transport and Muzrai amid speculations that he objected to the post. The Deputy CM visited Reddy to discuss the matter on Sunday.

HK Patil has been handed Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Legislation and Tourism. Health and Family Welfare have been allotted to Dinesh Gundu Rao, and HC Mahadevappa will handle Social Welfare.  

Shivanand Patil has been given a portfolio that includes Textiles, Sugarcane Development and the Directorate of Sugar, Agricultural Marketing from the Cooperation Department. Public Works has been allocated to Satish Jarakiholi and Revenue to Krishna Byregowda.

Former Union Minister KH Muniyappa is the new Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs minister in his first stint in the state cabinet. NS Boseraju has been allocated Minor Irrigation, Science and Technology.

The only woman in the cabinet, Laxmi R Hebbalkar, will be responsible for Women and Child Development and the Disabled and Senior Citizens Empowerment portfolios. 

Madhu Bangarappa has been given the Primary and Secondary Education portfolio. MC Sudhakar has received Higher Education, while Sharanaprakash Rudrappa Patil has been allocated the Medical Education and Skill Development portfolio.

Housing, Wakf and Minority Welfare will be taken over by BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, and Sharanabasappa Darshanapur will take over Small Scale Industries and Public Enterprises. Eshwar Khandre has been allotted Forest, Ecology and Environment, N Cheluvarayaswamy has Agriculture, SS Mallikarjun will take over Mines and Geology, Horticulture, Rahim Khan will take Municipal Administration and Haj, and Santosh S Lad is in charge of Labour. 

The other portfolios allocated are Excise, given to RB Timmapur. Animal Husbandry and Sericulture, given to K Venkatesh. Backward Class, Kannada and Culture, given to Shivaraj Tangadagi, Planning and Statistics, given to D Sudhakar. Youth Services, Sports and ST Welfare with  B Nagendra, Co-operation to KN Rajanna, Urban Development and Town Planning to Suresha BS and Fisheries and Ports, Inland Transport to Mankal Vaidya.

CM Siddaramaiah will take all the unallocated portfolios. 

Following the cabinet expansion, there was disgruntlement within the Congress, with several MLAs who aspired to become ministers but missed out, having to be pacified by party leaders.