The remaining 24 ministers of the Karnataka government are expected to be sworn in on May 27.
The remaining 24 ministers of the Karnataka government are anticipated to take their oath of office on May 27. Following Congress leader Siddaramaiah’s inauguration as the chief minister of Karnataka on May 20, along with DK Shivakumar as the deputy chief minister, ten out of the total 34 ministerial positions have been filled.
On Thursday, a meeting took place involving Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar, and key central leaders such as AICC general secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala. The purpose of the meeting was to finalize the list of MLAs who would be taking the oath. The additional MLAs set to take the oath include Kyathasandra N Rajanna, Sharanabasappa Darshanapur, Shivanand Patil, Ramappa Balappa Timmapur, S S Mallikarjun, Shivaraj Sangappa Tangadagi, Sharanaprakash Rudrappa Patil, Mankal Vaidya, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Rahim Khan, D Sudhakar, Santosh Lad, N S Boseraju, Suresha B S, Madhu Bangarappa, M C Sudhakar and B Nagendra.
Sidharamaiah and Shivakumar have been present in the national capital for the past three days, engaging in multiple rounds of discussions. After consulting with prominent leaders Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, the final list was approved.
Inclusion of Kittur Karnataka and Central Karnataka
The Karnataka cabinet has the capacity to accommodate a total of 34 ministers, which includes the chief minister. The list includes three MLAs from Scheduled Castes, two from Scheduled Tribes, five from Other Backward Communities namely Kuruba, Raju, Maratha, Ediga and Mogaveera and one Brahmin MLA.
According to an official statement cited by a PTI report, the cabinet composition consists of seven ministers each from the Old Mysuru and Kalyana Karnataka regions, six from the Kittur Karnataka region, and two from central Karnataka. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah mentioned that the cabinet will feature eight representatives from different sub-sects of the Lingayat community, while the statement also mentioned the inclusion of five Vokkaligas, including DK Shivakumar.
All the leaders left for Bengaluru from Delhi for the oath taking ceremony of the new ministers.
Portfolios Awaited
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has successfully achieved a balanced representation by considering both caste and region while also giving proper recognition to both senior and junior MLAs.
Currently, none of the inducted ministers have been assigned portfolios. It is anticipated that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will allocate portfolios once the Cabinet is expanded.
In the 2024 Karnataka Assembly election, the Congress achieved a resounding victory, winning 135 out of 224 seats, leading to the removal of the BJP from power. The BJP secured the second position with 66 seats, while the JD(S), which had aspired to have a pivotal role, obtained just 19 seats.
Despite initial differences between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar regarding the selection of potential ministers, they were able to resolve these issues during their discussions in the capital. Additionally, the two leaders met with Sonia Gandhi to further address any remaining concerns.
It is expected that Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu of Himachal Pradesh and his Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren will be in attendance at Saturday’s event.
