Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai inducts 29 new ministers into his cabinet, no deputy Chief Minister appointed

The new faces in Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai cabinet are V Sunil Kumar (Karkala), Araga Jnanendra (Thirthahalli), Munirathna (R R Nagar), Halappa Achar (Yelburga), Shankar Patil Munenkopp (Navalgunda) and B C Nagesh (Tiptur).

Image courtesy: ANI

Bengaluru: Speculations over Karnataka's cabinet expansion came to rest on Wednesday (August 4) as Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai inducted 29 ministers in his new cabinet. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers at the Raj Bhavan here.

A week after taking over as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Bommai has retained as many as 23 ministers of the previous B S Yediyurappa cabinet, besides inducting six new faces.

Among those in the Yediyurappa cabinet who made it to Basavaraj Bommai's Ministry are Govind Karjol (Mudhol), K S Eshwarappa (Shivamogga), R Ashoka (Padmanabhanagar), C N Ashwath Narayan (Malleshwaram), B Sriramulu (Molkalmuru), Umesh Katti (Hukkeri), S T Somashekar (Yeshwanthpur), K Sudhakar (Chikkaballapura), and B C Patil (Hirekeruru).

Also, J C Madhuswamy (Chikkanayakanahalli), Prabhu Chauhan (Aurad), V Somanna (Govindraj Nagar), S Angara (Sullia), Anand Singh (Vijayanagara), C C Patil (Nargund), M T B Nagaraj (MLC), and Kota Srinivas Poojary (MLC).

The new faces in the Bommai cabinet are V Sunil Kumar (Karkala), Araga Jnanendra (Thirthahalli), Munirathna (R R Nagar), Halappa Achar (Yelburga), Shankar Patil Munenkopp (Navalgunda) and B C Nagesh (Tiptur).

Among the ministers in the new cabinet are 8 Lingayats, 7 Vokkaligas, 7 OBCs, 3 SCs, 2 Brahmins, 1 ST and 1 Reddy, and a woman.

Keeping up the "promise", the new Karnataka CM has inducted 10 MLAs who had joined BJP after quitting Congress-JD(S) coalition in 2019, and helped the saffron party to come to power.

Eleven of them were ministers in the Yediyurappa government, out of them two Shrimant Patil and R Shankar have not made it to the Bommai cabinet, while Munirathna has been newly inducted.

Bommai also put the speculation to rest that there will be no Deputy Chief Ministers rith the cabinet expansion exercise today. Earlier in the day, he clarified that there will be no Deputy Chief Ministers in his cabinet as per the high command's directions.

Surprisingly, Yediyurappa's younger son and state BJP Vice President BY Vijayendra was also not among the ministers who took oath today.

Speaking to reporters, he said, "I have held detailed discussions with high command in Delhi regarding the cabinet expansion, after the final round of discussion last night, this morning the list was finalised. I have already sent the list to the Governor..," 

He further said that the new cabinet will respond to the needs of the people, earn their trust and give good governance, adding that there were no confusions regarding the cabinet formation. 

In response to a question on still some ministerial berths being kept vacant, PTI report quoted him as saying that the cabinet is usually expanded in stages, whichever regions have not got representation will be given, whenever it is done next.

Last week, Bommai was elected as the new leader of the BJP legislature party last week, following Yediyurappa's resignation. Bommai had taken oath as the Chief Minister on July 28.

In the previous cabinet led by BS Yediyurappa, there were three Deputy Chief Ministers, but this time there will be none as per the high command's directions. Notably, the sanctioned strength of the Karnataka cabinet is 34.

(With Agency Inputs)