Karnataka: 25 ministers sworn into HD Kumaraswamy’s cabinet 

The JD(S)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka was expanded on Wednesday, with the induction of 25 legislators as cabinet ministers including 23 from the alliance, one BSP MLA and an Independent.

Of the 23 from the alliance, 14 are from Congress and 9 from Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S). Kannada actor and legislative council member Jayamala of the Congress is the lone woman minister in the 27-member ministry. N Mahesh of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was also sworn in.

The BSP is a pre-poll ally of the JD(S). With him, BSP has a minister for the first time in south India and outside its home state Uttar Pradesh.

Independent R Shankar, who supported the alliance, was also inducted as cabinet minister. He had left the Congress after he was denied a ticket to contest in the May 12 Assembly election, but he defeated former Congress legislator KB Koliwad from Ranebennur in Haveri district.

The Congress ministers were RV Deshpande, DK Shivakumar, KJ George, Krishna Byre Gowda, Shiva Shankar Reddy, Ramesh Jarkiholi, Priyank Kharge, UT Abdul Khader, Zameer Ahmed Khan, Shivanand Patil, Venkat Ramanappa, Rajasekhar Basavaraj Patil, Puttaranga Shetty and Jayamala.

The Congress’crisis manager DK Shivkumar is likely get charge of the irrigation ministry, with medical education as the second portfolio.

The JD(S) ministers are HD Revanna, Bandeppa Kashempur, GT Deve Gowda, DC Thammanna, MC Managuli, SR Srinivas, Venkatrao Nadegouda, CS Puttaraju and SR Mahesh.

Of the seven vacancies left, five are for the Congress and two for the JD-S.

“Kumaraswamy will allocate the portfolios to all the ministers in consultation with the leaders of the respective parties. The list will be sent to the Governor for notifying the posts,” said a senior official.

The cabinet expansion took place 14 days after Kumaraswamy and Parameshwara were sworn-in on May 23, and 12 days after the Chief Minister won the floor test on May 25 by voice vote, as the opposition BJP staged a walkout in protest against their "unholy alliance".

Revanna is the second son of JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda and elder brother of Kumaraswamy. He represents Holenarsipur Assembly segment from Hassan district. Priyank is the son of Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge from Chittapur in Kalaburgi district.

Deshpande, George, Shivakumar, Byre Gowda, Kharge and Khadar were ministers in the previous Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, while Revanna, Kashempur and GT Deve Gowda were ministers in the previous JD(S)-Congress and JD(S)-BJP coalition governments from 2004-06 and 2006-07.