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No women included as Karnataka cabinet under DK Shivakumar gets 19 new members
Karnataka's cabinet expanded on Monday with 19 new ministers, raising the total to 33. Notably, the cabinet lacks women's representation.
Karnataka’s long-awaited cabinet expansion took shape on Monday with the induction of 19 ministers, bringing the strength of the chief minister DK Shivakumar-led council of ministers to 33, even as the cabinet continues to have no women’s representation. Meanwhile, a Congress MLA submitted his resignation from the legislative post while another threatened to follow suit after being left out.
The cabinet expansion brought together experienced legislators and first-time ministers, but the final list underwent some last-minute changes. Among the notable omissions were MLC Gayathri Shanthegowda, whose name was on the final list cleared by the high command but was dropped at the last moment, leaving the cabinet without a woman minister. Bhatkal MLA Mankal Vaidya, whose name appeared in an earlier list issued by the AICC, was replaced by former minister SS Mallikarjun.
People familiar with the development said Gayathri, a Kuruba leader, was kept out after former CM Siddaramaiah raised concerns about not being consulted on the appointment.
Also Read | K’taka Cong leaders to meet top brass in Delhi, discuss cabinet expansion
Shivakumar was sworn-in as the CM along with 13 ministers on June 3, following Siddaramaiah’s resignation on May 28. After the expansion, the cabinet now has one vacant berth.
Among the first-time ministers inducted on Monday are Mayakonda MLA KS Basavanthappa, T Raghumurthy (Challakere), Rizwan Arshad (Shivajinagar), Ajay Singh (Jevargi), K M Shivalinge Gowda (Arasikere), HC Balakrishna (Magadi), and Vijayanand Kashappanavar (Bagalakote).
Those who were part of the earlier Siddaramaiah-led cabinet include Shivaraj Tangadagi (Kanakagiri), B Nagendra (Ballari rural), BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan (Chamarajpet), Santosh Lad (Kalaghatagi), and N Chaluvaraya Swamy (Nagamangala).
Social balance, but no women
The expansion maintainted the social balance with seven ministers each sworn in from the Lingayats and Scheduled Castes. Vokkaligas hold five positions. Muslim representation has also grown from two ministers to three.
Also Read | Cabinet expansion decision to wrap up this week, says CM
B Nagendra (ST), who had resigned from former chief minister Siddaramaiah’s cabinet after his name surfaced in the multi-crore financial scam in Valmiki Development Corporation, has made a comeback.
Congress leaders express dissent
The expansion, however, left several Congress legislators dissatisfied. Indi MLA Yashavantarayagouda V Patil submitted his resignation from his legislative post after missing out on a cabinet berth, while Sagar MLA Belur Gopalakrishna announced he would also resign. HC Mahadevappa, HK Patil, Dinesh Gundu Rao, K Venkatesh, MC Sudhakar and Laxmi Hebbalkar were among the other notable senior Congress leaders left out of the cabinet.
“It is disappointing that after so many years of service to the state and the party, I have not been considered to serve the government in this cabinet. I am disappointed by decisions taken without being given any reason for my exclusion,” Gundu Rao said on X.
Senior Congress leader Margaret Alva also voiced concern over the composition of the cabinet, expressing disappointment over no woman representation. “I would have loved to see at least one Congress woman in the new Karnataka Cabinet sworn in today. Deeply disappointed that there isn’t one,” she said in a post on X.
BJP state chief BY Vijayendra questioned the Congress over women’s representation in the cabinet. “…The people will teach a fitting lesson in the coming days to this government that opposes women and fosters corruption,” he said in a post on X.
Responding to the criticism, Shivakumar said, “Let them (BJP) wait; there are a lot of vacancies. Last time, too, there were no women in the first round. We are all there.”
