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18 of 29 K’taka ministers retain portfolios; BSY’s Cabinet-rank facilities remain
While the CM kept the key portfolios of finance, Bengaluru development and cabinet affairs, debutant ministers secured plum portfolios -- Araga Jnanendra (home), V Sunil Kumar (energy, Kannada and culture) and BC Nagesh (primary and secondary education, and Sakala department).
Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday allocated portfolios to 29 newly inducted cabinet ministers, with 18 of them retaining the ministries they had in the previous BS Yediyurappa government.
Basavaraj Bommai took oath as the new chief minister of Karnataka on July 28. The 61-year-old leader was elected by the Karnataka BJP legislature party as its new leader to succeed outgoing chief minister BS Yediyurappa.
While the CM kept the key portfolios of finance, Bengaluru development and cabinet affairs, debutant ministers secured plum portfolios -- Araga Jnanendra (home), V Sunil Kumar (energy, Kannada and culture) and BC Nagesh (primary and secondary education, and Sakala department).
Significantly, defectors from the Congress and the Janata Dal Secular (JDS) in 2019, have retained their portfolios -- K Sudhakar (health and family welfare), BC Patil (agriculture), ST Somashekar (cooperation), Byrati Basavaraj (urban development), K Gopalaiah (excise), and Shivaram Hebbar (labour) retained the posts.
However, two of the leaders — Srimant Patil and R Shankar — did not make it to the cabinet, but have been promised other posts, said BJP officer-bearers in the know of the developments.
Five of the ministers in the previous cabinet -- Govind Karjola, B Sriramulu, CC Patil, Murugesh R. Nirani, and Shahikala Jolle -- have been allocated new portfolios, while another five -- V Somanna, Umesh V Katti, JC Madhuswamy, Anand Singh, and N Nagaraju (MTB) -- have been allocated additional ones.
Lone woman minister in the cabinet, Shashikala Jolle, has been made in-charge of Muzrai, Wakf & Haj. She was women & child development minister in the Yediyurappa cabinet and had faced corruption allegations.
The portfolio allocation has also given rise to some amount of disgruntlement, with ministers Anand Singh and Nagaraju openly expressing their displeasure.
Singh, who has been allocated ecology, environment, and tourism portfolios, said: “I didn’t ask for this portfolio. Whatever request I made at the party forum has not been considered. I’m planning to meet the CM. I will request him to reconsider my request.”
Nagaraju, who defected from the Congress to the BJP, has threatened to take serious action if his portfolio is not changed. He has retained the municipal administration portfolio, but has been given the additional charge of Small Scale Industries and Public Sector Industries.
“Previous CM BSY and present CM Basavaraj Bommai have not kept their word. I am not happy with the allotted portfolio. Will take a call in this regard in 2-3 days,” he said in a Twitter post.
Downplaying the disgruntlement among his cabinet colleagues, the chief minister said he will speak to them and sort out the issue. “I will call and talk to him. He is my good friend.”
Later speaking to reporters in Hubballi, in response to a question on the portfolio Singh desired, the CM said, “Naturally everyone will have desire (for certain Ministries), it cannot be made public...everyone can’t get the portfolio they ask for.I will talk to him.”
On giving key posts to debutants, Bommai said, it is with an intention to bring in new changes.
