Karnataka Cabinet: 24 more ministers sworn in, not an MLA or MLC but NS Boseraju is minister

The ministers include 23 MLAs and the Congress high command’s surprise candidate, NS Boseraju, who is neither an MLA nor an MLC.

Laxmi Hebbalkar is the lone woman minister in the 34-member Cabinet.

Also read: Balancing act gives Congress 24 new names from varied backgrounds

Cleared by high command

“Boseraju, a former MLA and an MLC is the All India Congress Committee secretary. Hailing from Raichur, he is a committed Congress worker. His name was cleared by the Congress high command yesterday,” a Congress leader told PTI.

There were very rare instances of all sanctioned ministerial positions being filled in Karnataka, a Congress office-bearer said. The Karnataka government can have 34 ministers.

Amid tight security, the swearing-in took place at the Raj Bhavan.

“A full Cabinet shows that the government is not just confident but also committed to get cracking on administration in full swing,” one of the newly sworn-in ministers told South First.

The ministers

MLAs HK Patil, Krishna Byre Gowda, N Cheluvarayaswamy, K Venkatesh, HC Mahadevappa, Congress working president Eshwar Khandre, and former state Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao are among those who took the oath.

Others on the list are Kyathasandra N Rajanna, Sharanabasappa Darshanapur, Shivanand Patil, Ramappa Balappa Timmapur, S S Mallikarjun, Shivaraj Sangappa Tangadagi, Sharanaprakash Rudrappa Patil, Mankal Vaidya, Laxmi Hebbalkar, Rahim Khan, D Sudhakar, Santosh Lad, Boseraju, Suresha BS, Madhu Bangarappa, MC Sudhakar and B Nagendra.

During the oath-taking ceremony, supporters of those who were denied ministerial positions, such as M Krishnappa, a four-time MLA, and also a minister in the previous Congress government led by Siddaramaiah, raised slogans and held placards demanding Cabinet berths for their leaders.

Protests were also held by supporters of former Congress minister TB Jayachandra, who didn’t make it to the Cabinet.

“I have been a loyal Congressman and have never shifted loyalty even when I was denied ticket. This time my supporters ensured my victory hoping I would be a minister. For reasons best known to the party, I have been denied a Cabinet berth. I will take it up with the AICC president,” TB Jayachandra said in a video statement released on Saturday.

Laxmi Hebbalkar, Madhu Bangarappa, D Sudhakar, Cheluvaraya Swami, Mankul Vaidya, and MC Sudhakar are close to KPCC president and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, according to Congress sources.

Striking a balance

Siddaramaiah has struck a balance by giving caste and region-wise representation along with accommodating senior as well as junior MLAs, an official statement said on Friday night.

It also said the Cabinet will have eight Lingayats. Different sub-sects of the community, too, have been given representation.

The new ministers include six Lingayats and four Vokkaligas.

Three MLAs are from Scheduled Castes, two from Scheduled Tribes, and five from Other Backward Communities — Kuruba, Raju, Maratha, Ediga, and Mogaveera. In Dinesh Gundu Rao, Brahmins have also got a representation.

Meanwhile, Laxmi Hebbalkar is the lone woman in the 34-member Siddaramaiah Cabinet, while Rahim Khan is the only Muslim.

Seven ministers each are from Old Mysuru and Kalyana Karnataka regions, six from Kittur Karnataka region, and two from central Karnataka.

Also read: Electricity bill collectors get poll-guarantee shock in Karnataka

Several rounds of discussions

Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were in the national capital over the past three days, holding several rounds of discussions with national leaders.

The decision was finalised after hours of parleys between Siddaramaih and his deputy Shivakumar with top central leaders including AICC general secretaries KC Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala.

Congress president M Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi gave their final nod to the list that balanced caste and regional equations.

Earlier, the two Karnataka leaders also met Sonia Gandhi for the first time after government formation in the state.

Differences between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar emerged over names of probable ministers, but were sorted out during the discussions, sources said.

Also read: Bommai says it is ‘reverse-gear government’ in Karnataka

Community-wise representation

Among the first eight Cabinet ministers who took oath last week, three are from Scheduled Caste, while one each is from the Vokkaliga, Muslim, Lingayat, Christian, and Reddy communities, and one is from a Scheduled Tribe.

As many as eight ministers will be from Kalyana Karnataka, seven each from Kittur Karnataka, Old Mysuru, and Bengaluru, three from Central Karnataka, and one from Coastal Karnataka. This does not include Siddaramaiah.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leaders like Haliyal MLA RV Deshpande and MLC BK Hariprasad were left out.

The portfolios have not been allotted yet. Minister KH Muniyappa said the portfolios will be announced by evening.

(With PTI inputs)