Karnataka witnessed a major political development on Monday. The Karnataka government expanded its cabinet, inducting a total of 20 new ministers. Just two months after assuming office, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar expanded his cabinet to full strength. Following Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s approval, a grand swearing-in ceremony was held at the Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru, bringing the total number of ministers, including the Chief Minister, to the maximum limit of 34 as per the Constitution.
20 veteran leaders who took oath
The 20 prominent leaders who took oath as ministers during the swearing-in ceremony held at Raj Bhavan included PM Narendraswamy, Shivaraj Tangadagi, Rudrappa Lamani, KS Basavantappa, B Nagendra, T Raghumurthy, BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rizwan Arshad, Santosh Lad, Madhu Bangarappa, Putturangashetty, SS Mallikarjun, Dr. Ajay Singh, N Chaluvaraya Swamy, KM Shivalinge Gowda, HC Balakrishna, Gayatri Shanthegowda, Basavaraj Rayareddy, Vijayanand Kashappanavar, and Laxman Savadi. Significantly, this reshuffle saw the return of several veteran ministers to the cabinet, including B Nagendra, who had resigned from the previous Siddaramaiah government in 2024 following allegations related to the Maharishi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation scam.
Seal on the names of Speaker and Chairman
Prior to this major political development, the Congress high command officially approved the names of GS Patil as the new Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and AS Ponnanna as Deputy Speaker. Furthermore, Salim Ahmed was announced as the new Chairman and Umashree as Deputy Chairperson of the Legislative Council.
What did the Chief Minister say on the resignation of MLAs?
Just before the cabinet formation and swearing-in ceremony, discontent within the Congress party surfaced. Disgruntled over their lack of cabinet berths, Congress MLAs Yashwanthrai Gowda V. Patil (from Indi) and Belur Gopalakrishna (from Sagar) resigned from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. The sudden resignations of these two MLAs caused a stir in political circles. Reacting to the development, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said he urged everyone to remain patient and that the party would create new opportunities for everyone in the future.