New Karnataka cabinet: CM Siddaramaiah keeps finance, DK Shivakumar gets Bengaluru development

The newly elected Karnataka government has shortlisted portfolios for the 34 cabinet ministers. According to a news report in India Today, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has kept state finance and cabinet affairs for himself, while G Parameshwara is likely to take charge of the home ministry.

Deputy CM DK Shivakumar has been assigned Bengaluru city development and major and medium irrigation, while HK Patil was allotted Law and Parliamentary Affairs.

Newly inducted Dinesh Gundu Rao has been given the charge of Health and Family Welfare, while Krishan Byre Gowda has got a Revenue portfolio, excluding Muzrai.

K H Muniyappa has been given food and civil supplies and consumer affairs, Ramalinga Reddy has got transport, Satish Jarikiholi has been given the charge of the public works department, and Byrati Suresh has got the urban development. M B Patil has been given the charge of industries and excise ministry, while Nagendra and Venkatesh have got youth and sports, and animal husbandry, respectively.

Earlier in the day, 24 MLAs took oath as ministers in presence of CM Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM Shivakumar, and Legislative Assembly Speaker UT Khader. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath of office to the legislators at the Glass House in Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru. The leaders were Dinesh Gundu Rao, Krishna Byre Gowda, Eshwar Khandre, Raheem Khan, Santosh Lad, KN Rajanna, K Ventakesh, HC Mahadevappa, Byrathi Suresh, Shivaraj Tangadi, RB Timmpur, B Nagendra, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Madhu Bangarappa, D Sudhakar, Cheluvaraya Swami, Mankul Vaidya and MC Sudhakar.

The Karnataka government can have 34 ministers. Ten of them, including CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar, were sworn in on May 20.
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.

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