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BS Yediyurappa allocates portfolios in new Karnataka cabinet. See list here
R Shankar, who won as an independent before merging his party with the Congress, has been made minister for municipal administration and sericulture.
A week after expanding his cabinet, Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday allocated portfolios to the new inductees and also effected a reshuffle of the departments of some ministers.
The CM has retained at least eight ministries that include Bengaluru development, energy, finance, intelligence, infrastructure development and all other unallocated portfolios as a measure to manage expectations and quell dissent in the ranks of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state.
The list was released by the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), Karnataka.
Umesh Katti, the legislator from Hukkeri, has been named as the new minister for food, civil supplies and consumer affairs that was earlier held by K Gopalaiah, who was among the 17 legislators who helped bring down the HD Kumaraswamy-led Janata Dal(S)-Congress coalition government.
N Nagaraju (M.T.B), another turncoat legislator who lost his seat in the bypolls, has been named in charge of excise department after Yediyurappa let go of H Nagesh, an independent candidate who transferred his support from the coalition government to the BJP.
Murugesh Nirani, who had allegedly led a large contingent of legislators against Yediyurappa, has been named as the minister for mines and geology department.
Arvind Limbavali and CP Yogeshwar, the two people who were instrumental in safeguarding the support of the turncoats, have been given forest and minor irrigation departments, respectively.
K Sudhakar, the health and family welfare minister was forced to part with the medical education portfolio which was handed to JC Madhuswamy, who was earlier the minister for law, parliamentary affairs and legislation department. Sudhakar had fought hard to retain both medical education and health in the peak of the pandemic from B Sriramulu.
Former mining baron and turncoat Anand Singh was relieved of the forest department and has been handed the tourism portfolio that was earlier held by CT Ravi, who has since assumed charge as general secretary of the BJP. Singh has also been entrusted with the environment and ecology department.
R Shankar, who won as an independent before merging his party with the Congress, has been made minister for municipal administration and sericulture.
Former chief minister Jagadish Shettar retained the industries portfolio.
