Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Monday expanded his Council of Ministers after weeks of political deliberations, but the much-awaited exercise witnessed a dramatic last-minute twist. Although the Congress high command had approved a list of 20 ministers, only 19 legislators were sworn in at the oath-taking ceremony, leaving one berth vacant for the time being.
The swearing-in ceremony was held at Lok Bhavan (Glass House) in Bengaluru at 5 p.m., where Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers. Dr. Ajay Singh, son of former Chief Minister late Dharam Singh, was the first to take the oath, followed by the remaining ministers.
List of 19 ministers sworn in
The ministers inducted into the cabinet are: Dr. Ajay Singh, H.C. Balakrishna, K.S. Basavanthappa, Basavaraj Rayareddi, N. Cheluvarayaswamy, Laxman Savadi, Madhu Bangarappa, S.S. Mallikarjun, B. Nagendra, P.M. Narendraswamy, C. Puttarangashetty, T. Raghumurthy, Rizwan Arshad, Rudrappa Lamani, Santosh Lad, K.M. Shivalingegowda, Shivaraj Tangadagi, Vijayanand Kashappanavar and B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan.
How did the list shrink from 20 to 19?
Hours before the swearing-in ceremony, AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal had formally informed Chief Minister Shivakumar that the Congress high command had cleared a list of 20 ministers. The approved list included Legislative Council member Gayathri Shanthe Gowda.
However, in a dramatic last-minute development, Gayathri Shanthe Gowda did not receive a formal communication from the Chief Minister's Office to attend the swearing-in ceremony. As a result, she was not administered the oath, reducing the number of ministers inducted into the cabinet to 19.
Twelve first-time ministers
The original list had 13 first-time inductees. Following Gayathri Shanthe Gowda's exclusion, the number of first-time ministers came down to 12.
The first-time ministers are:
P.M. Narendraswamy (Malavalli), Rudrappa Lamani (Haveri), K.S. Basavanthappa (Mayakonda), T. Raghumurthy (Challakere), Rizwan Arshad (Shivajinagar), C. Puttarangashetty (Chamarajanagar), Dr. Ajay Singh (Jewargi), K.M. Shivalingegowda (Arsikere), H.C. Balakrishna (Magadi), Basavaraj Rayareddi (Yelburga), Vijayanand Kashappanavar (Hungund) and Laxman Savadi (Athani).
Last-minute tussle over woman minister's berth
According to political sources, intense lobbying continued until the final hours over the lone woman minister's berth, with Gayathri Shanthe Gowda, Lakshmi Hebbalkar and Umashree emerging as the principal contenders. A crucial meeting was reportedly held at the residence of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah before the final decision was taken.
Sources said some senior state Congress leaders pressed for the removal of Gayathri Shanthe Gowda's name from the approved list, following which the party high command accepted the proposal. Reports also suggested that internal differences arose because Gayathri, a Member of the Legislative Council, had not yet taken oath as an MLC, eventually leading to her exclusion from the cabinet.
No woman in the cabinet
With Gayathri Shanthe Gowda's exclusion, the newly expanded Karnataka cabinet has no woman minister, triggering political debate across the state. Lakshmi Hebbalkar, who was also considered a strong contender, once again failed to secure a cabinet berth, disappointing her supporters.
Consensus on Speaker and other constitutional posts
Along with the cabinet expansion, the Congress leadership also reached a consensus on key constitutional positions in the state legislature. G.S. Patil has been chosen for the post of Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Ponnanna for Deputy Speaker, Saleem Ahmed for Chairman of the Legislative Council, and Umashree for Deputy Chairperson of the Council.
Uttara Kannada left without representation
The cabinet expansion has once again left Uttara Kannada district without representation. Senior Congress legislators from the district, including Mankal Vaidya, R.V. Deshpande and Satish Sail, were widely considered contenders for ministerial berths but failed to find a place in the final list. The development has led to disappointment among Congress workers and political circles in the district.
Political observers believe the cabinet expansion was aimed at maintaining regional, social and political balance. However, the last-minute exclusion of an approved candidate, the absence of women ministers and the continued exclusion of certain districts are expected to remain subjects of political debate in the coming days.