Karnataka: With 8 Lingayats and 6 Vokkaliga, new cabinet tries to balance caste equations
- Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot administered the oath at Raj Bhawan in Bengaluru and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar were also present during the occasion
The newly-formed Karnataka government on Saturday was expanded with 24 ministers taking the oath of office. Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot administered the oath at Raj Bhawan in Bengaluru and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar were also present during the occasion. With fresh inductions, the Congress government has reached its full strength of 34 ministers.
Congress has tried to strike a caste balance in Karnataka and the new cabinet has six members from the Vokkaliga community, eight Lingayats, four from the Scheduled Caste community, three scheduled tribes, two from the Muslim community, and one from the Christian community. The members of the Maratha and Brahmin community also got their representation.
The reports indicate that some leaders are still not happy with the cabinet formation as the Banjara community which is believed to have supported the Congress during elections, did not find their leaders in the new cabinet. Rudrappa Lamani, the former minister and popular leader of the community was expected to get a place but didn't have his name in the final list.
HK Patil was the pioneer in swearing an oath, followed by N Chaluvarayaswamy, a Nagamangala MLA and staunch supporter of Shivakumar. Furthermore, Krishnabyre Gowda, the Batarayanapur MLA and former minister, took an oath as a minister. It was reported that Gowda was displeased when his name did not initially feature in the first roster of ministers.
HC Mahadevappa, a senior politician and MLA from T Narasipur is known for his close association with Siddaramaiah and his roots in the Old Mysore region. He previously served as the Public Works Department (PWD) minister in Siddaramaiah's cabinet from 2013 to 2018.
Among the individuals who took the oath, there were several experienced leaders. Ishwar Khandre, the MLA from Balki, had previously served as a minister and currently holds the position of working president of Karnataka Congress.
Dinesh Gundurao, a former minister and MLA from Gandhi Nagar, and Sharanbasappa Darshanapura, the MLA from Shahapur and also a former minister, also took the oath. Sharanbasappa Darshanapura had previously held a ministerial position in 2006.
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Santosh Lad, the MLA from Kalaghatagi, had also served as a minister in the past. Byrathi Suresh, the MLA from Hebbal, is known for his allegiance to Siddaramaiah and also took the oath.
Shivraja Thangadagi, the MLA from Kanakagiri, held the position of Minor Irrigation Minister during Siddaramaiah's tenure. Sharan Prakash, the MLA from Sedam, had served as the Medical Education Minister in the previous Siddaramaiah government.
After the formation of the government, the Siddaramaiah government is expected to work to fulfill its poll promises including the five guarantees.
(With agency inputs)
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First Published:27 May 2023, 08:35 PM IST
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