Nineteen Ministers Join Karnataka Cabinet in First Major Expansion Under CM DK Shivakumar
Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administers oath to newly appointed ministers as the Congress government expands its leadership team.
Bengaluru: Nineteen Congress legislators were inducted into the Karnataka Cabinet during a swearing in ceremony held at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru, marking the first major ministry expansion after Chief Minister DK Shivakumar took charge.
Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly appointed ministers. The expansion was aimed at strengthening the state government by bringing more legislators into key positions.
The Congress leadership had earlier approved a list of twenty names for ministerial positions. However, nineteen legislators took the oath as MLC elect Gayathri Shanthegowda could not attend the ceremony.
The new ministers include several senior leaders and experienced legislators such as Dr Ajay Singh, HC Balakrishna, KS Basavanthappa, Basavaraj Rayareddi, N Chaluvarayaswamy, Laxman Savadi, Madhu Bangarappa, SS Mallikarjun, B Nagendra, PM Narendraswamy, C Putturangashetty, T Raghumurthy, Rizwan Arshad, Rudrappa Lamani, Santosh Lad, KM Shivalinge Gowda, Shivaraj Tangadagi, Vijayanand Kashappanavar, and BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan.
Following the cabinet expansion, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar addressed concerns from legislators who missed out on ministerial posts. He urged them to remain patient and assured that more opportunities would come as the government continues its work.
With the latest appointments, the Karnataka Cabinet has moved closer to its maximum allowed strength of thirty four ministers.