Karnataka Cabinet to be expanded on June 6
Bengaluru, June 1 (IANS) Congress, the major partner in the coalition with JD-S in Karnataka, will have 21 more ministers while the party led by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy will get 11 more and all of them will be sworn in June 6 in the first expansion of the Cabinet.
While the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) will keep Finance portfolio, the Congress will get Home among other departments.
The details of the ministries and portfolios to be shared by the two parties were disclosed by the Congress in charge for Karnataka K.C. Venugopal at a press conference here attended among others by former Chief Minister Siddaramiah and party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Veerappa Moily and D.K. Shivakumar.
“The Governor (Vajubhia Vala) has fixed 2 p.m. on June 6 for the swearing-in of all the 32 Cabinet Ministers. The venue for the ceremony will be decided soon,” Kumaraswamy told the media.
The alliance partners have decided on the portfolios to be shared and the names of the 32 legislators to be made ministers will be announced before June 6.
“As agreed by the leaders of the respective parties, the Congress will have 22 ministers, including Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara and JD-S 12 ministers, including the Chief Minister, in the 34-member ministry,” Venugopal said.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi and JD-S supremo H.D. Deve Gowda have approved the sharing of the portfolios between the coalition partners.
Accordingly, the Congress, which has 78 legislators, will get Home, Irrigation, Bengaluru Development, Industries, Health & Family Welfare, Revenue & Muzrai, Urban Development, Rural Development, Agriculture, Medical Education, Women & Child Welfare, Environment & Forests, Mines & Geology, Social Welfare, Food & Civil Supplies, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, IT, Biotechnology and Science & Technology and Sports & Youth Affairs.
The JD-S, which has 36 legislators, will have Finance & Excise, Information, Intelligence, General Administration, Planning & Statistics, Public Works Department, Power, Cooperation, Tourism, General Education, Animal Husbandary & Fisheries, Horticulture & Sericulture, Small-Scale Industries, Transport and Minor Irrigation.
“The remaining portfolios will be decided by the Chief Minister in consultation with the Deputy Chief Minister,” added Venugopal.