- Congress also made key legislative assembly and council appointments.
Two months after taking office as Karnataka chief minister, D K Shivakumar on Monday expanded his Cabinet by inducting 20 ministers, taking his Council of Ministers close to its full sanctioned strength.
The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to take place at Lok Bhavan at 4:05 pm, according to the Chief Minister’s Office. With the latest expansion, the ministry moves closer to the sanctioned strength of 34, including the chief minister.
The Congress high command approved the list of ministers, with AICC general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal formally communicating the names to Shivakumar.
Lone Woman Minister, Muslim Representation Increases
The new Cabinet includes only one woman minister despite expectations of broader gender representation.
Muslim representation has increased to three ministers in the expanded Council of Ministers, making it one of the notable features of the new Cabinet.
The expansion also does not include a single Brahmin minister.
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Several First-Time Ministers
Despite calls within the party for generational change, only a handful of young and new faces have found a place in the Cabinet.
Rizwan Arshad and Ajay Singh, son of former Chief Minister Dharam Singh, are among the younger leaders who will become ministers for the first time.
Narendra Swamy, Basavanthappa, Raghumurthy, Puttarangashetty, Gayathri Shanthe Gowda, Vijayanand Kashappanavar and senior leader Shivalinge Gowda have also been inducted into the ministry for the first time.
Senior Leaders Return To Cabinet
Several senior leaders considered close to former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah have retained their place or returned to the Cabinet.
Zameer Ahmed Khan has once again been inducted into the ministry. Considered a close associate of Siddaramaiah, his return comes despite allegations levelled against him over the party’s defeat in the Davanagere by-election. His strong support base within the community is believed to have contributed to his inclusion.
B. Nagendra has also returned to the Cabinet despite facing allegations linked to the Valmiki Development Corporation scam.
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Congress Announces Key Constitutional Appointments
Alongside the Cabinet expansion, the Congress high command approved G. S. Patil as the new Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and A. S. Ponnanna as the Deputy Speaker.
The party also named Saleem Ahmed as the Chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council and Umashree as its Deputy Chairperson.
Shivakumar had taken oath as chief minister on June 3 along with 13 ministers after Siddaramaiah resigned from the post on May 28.
