Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has allocated portfolios to his Cabinet ministers, keeping the Finance portfolio to himself, while his deputy DK Shivakumar got Irrigation and Bengaluru City Development departments, reported PTI.
Apart from Finance, Siddaramaiah has also kept Cabinet Affairs, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Intelligence, Information, IT and BT, Infrastructure Development and all unallocated portfolios.
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were sworn-in as CM and deputy CM on May 20, along with eight Cabinet ministers. On Saturday, he subsequently expanded his Cabinet to its full strength by inducting 24 new ministers, after rounds of discussions with the party’s high command.
G Parameshwara, who has previously handled the Home department, has once again been allocated the portfolio, MB Patil is the new Large and Medium Industries minister while KJ Geroge has been given the Energy department portfolio, the Karnataka government announced in a notification released late on Sunday.
Shivakumar has got the all-important Major and Medium Irrigation and Bengaluru City Development, including the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Bangalore Development Authority, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority and the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited.
The Bengaluru City Development department portfolio is vital given the upcoming BBMP polls.
HK Patil has been allocated Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Legislation and Tourism while KH Muniyappa — a former Union minister for whom this is the first stint in the state Cabinet — is the new Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs minister.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s son Priyank Kharge is the new Rural Development and Panchayati Raj minister, Shivanand Patil has been given Textiles, Sugarcane Development and the Directorate of Sugar, Agricultural Marketing from the Cooperation department.
The Congress won a thumping majority in the May 10 elections, counting for which was held on may 13. The party bagged 135 seats ousting the BJP from power, which bagged 66 seats.