Karnataka: DKS Govt Inducts 19 New Ministers, No Woman Included
New Delhi: Karnataka chief minister D.K. Shivakumar on Monday (August 3) inducted 19 new ministers in his cabinet, taking the strength of the ministry to one short of its sanctioned limit of 34 including the chief minister. Despite the expansion, none of the cabinet ministers in the DKS government are women.
The swearing-in ceremony was held at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru after Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot approved the cabinet expansion.
According to the Hindustan Times, MLC Gayathri Shanthegowda’s name was on the list approved by the party high command but was dropped at the last minute, leaving the cabinet without a single woman.
Those inducted into the cabinet are P.M. Narendraswamy, Shivaraj Tangadagi, Rudrappa Lamani, KS Basavanthappa, T Raghumoorthy, B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rizwan Arshad, Santosh Lad, Madhu Bangarappa, Putturangashetty, S.S. Mallikarjun, Dr Ajay Singh, N Chaluvaraya Swamy, K.M. Shivalinge Gowda, H.C. Balakrishna, Basavaraj Rayareddi, Vijayanand Kashappanavar and Laxman Savadi.
Notably, B. Nagendra – who had resigned from the Siddarmaiah government over allegations related to the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation scam in 2024 – has also returned to the cabinet.
The Congress high command also cleared the appointment of G.S. Patil as speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and A.S. Ponnanna as deputy speaker. Saleem Ahmed was named chairman of the Legislative Council, while Umashree was appointed deputy chairperson.
Two resignations
Ahead of the swearing-in, Congress MLAs Yashavantarayagouda V. Patil of Indi and Belur Gopalakrishna of Sagar resigned from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly after they were not included in the cabinet.
Patil said his name remained on the list until Monday morning but was dropped from the final list. He said he had been assured of a ministerial position before the 2023 Assembly elections as well but was later told that it would come after 2.5 years. "I was promised a ministerial post even before the 2023 Assembly polls. Later, I was told it would happen after 2.5 years, but the promise was not kept. I have no other choice," he said. He clarified that he was not leaving the party, but stepping down as an MLA as the decision was an insult to the people of his constituency.
Responding to the dissatisfaction among party legislators, Shivakumar said it was not possible to accommodate every MLA in the ministry. "There are many MLAs. It is not possible to accommodate everyone. Earlier, I too missed out on a ministerial berth in Siddaramaiah's cabinet. But didn't I become a minister later? Similarly, we will provide opportunities to everyone in the future," the chief minister said.
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