Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy retains 11 ministries as portfolios announced

Bengaluru: After days of hectic discussions and bargaining between the coalition partners – Congress and the JD(S) -- the Karnataka government on Friday announced that Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy would keep a total of 11 portfolios with him including the Department of Finance, Cabinet Affairs, Information and Public Affairs and Energy among others.

Meanwhile, his deputy and Congress leader G Parameshwara will keep 3 portfolios including the home and youth empowerment and sports departments.

However, the chief minister will handle the Intelligence Wing from the Home Department.

Senior Congress leader D K Shivakumar, who played a pivotal role in keeping the MLAs intact and safe from the alleged poaching by the BJP after the elections, has been given the major and medium irrigation portfolios from the water resources department and the medical education portfolio from the family and welfare department.

Chief Minister Kumaraswamy’s brother H D Revanna has been allocated public works department (PWD) excluding post and inland transport.

Congress leader KJ George has been given the Heavy Industries portfolio along with the Sugar department.

JD(S)’ D C Thamanna has been given the Transport department while Bandeppa Kashempur has been entrusted with the cooperation department.

GT Deve Gowda, who defeated former chief minister Siddaramaiah has been named the higher education minister.

The announcement of portfolios came after the cabinet was expanded on Wednesday with the induction of 25 ministers,14 from the Congress, nine from the JD(S) and one each from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party (KPJP).

While forming the alliance, the two parties agreed to share the 34 portfolios in the ratio of 2:1, with the Congress getting 22 and the JD(S) 12, including the chief minister’s post.

The Congress has left six vacancies in its share of ministries and while the JD(S) has left one.

The allocation comes amid protests by senior Congress leaders who could not get ministerial posts, including M B Patil and H K Patil.

Earlier on Friday, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy met the newly elected Congress lawmakers who were left out during the Cabinet expansion and tried to pacify them; however, they remained defiant. Following this, the Chief Minister asked the Congress high-command to immediately resolve the situation.