Karnataka Cabinet Expansion: 19 New Ministers Appointed Amid Controversy
Karnataka Cabinet Reshuffle
Bengaluru, August 3 - The long-awaited expansion of the Karnataka Cabinet took place on Monday, introducing 19 new ministers, which includes both seasoned leaders and fresh faces. Notably, this cabinet does not feature any female ministers. Among the 19 appointees, seven previously served in the Siddaramaiah cabinet, while seven are stepping into ministerial roles for the first time.
The newcomers include K.S. Basavanthappa (Mayakonda), T. Raghumoorthy (Challakere), Rizwan Arshad (Shivajinagar), Ajay Singh (Jewargi), K.M. Shivlinge Gowda (Arsikere), H.C. Balakrishna (Magadi), and Vijayanand Kashappanavar (Bagalkot). The leaders returning from Siddaramaiah's administration are Shivraj Tangadgi (Kanakagiri), B. Nagendra (Bellary Rural), B.Z. Zaheer Ahmed Khan (Chamrajpet), Santosh Lad (Kalghatgi), and N. Chaluvaraya Swamy (Nagamangala). Notably, MLC Gayatri Shantigouda was removed from the final list at the last moment.
Currently, the state cabinet lacks any female representation. Shantigouda's name was included in the final list approved by the Congress leadership. Following Siddaramaiah's resignation from the chief minister position on May 28, Shivakumar took the oath of office on June 3 with 13 ministers.
The Karnataka Cabinet has a total of 34 sanctioned positions, and after this expansion, only one position remains vacant. With the addition of the 19 new members, the cabinet now has the highest representation from the Lingayat and Scheduled Caste communities, each having seven ministers.
Following them are five ministers from the Vokkaliga community, three each from the Muslim and Scheduled Tribe communities, two from the Kuruba community, and one each from the Ediga, Maratha, Rajput, Reddy, Christian, and Uppar communities. In terms of regional representation, six ministers hail from Bengaluru, while three are from Kalaburagi. Additionally, various regions including Davanagere, Mysuru, and Dharwad have also been represented.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Governor Thawarchand Gehlot appointed senior Congress MLA T.B. Jayachandra as the pro tem speaker of the assembly. He will hold this position until a permanent speaker is elected. Currently, both the speaker and deputy speaker positions are vacant.
It is anticipated that elections for these positions will occur during the upcoming monsoon session of the Karnataka Assembly, starting August 13. According to the assembly bulletin, members have been informed that under Article 180(1) of the Constitution of India, the Governor has appointed MLA T.B. Jayachandra to perform the duties of the Karnataka Assembly Speaker from August 3, 2026, until a formal election is conducted by the assembly.
On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized the Congress government for appointing B. Nagendra as a minister. The party alleged that he was rewarded with a ministerial position despite his alleged involvement in the Valmiki Corporation scam. The BJP also targeted the Congress for not including any women in the new cabinet.
Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok took to social media platform X to attack the Congress government, claiming that despite the alleged embezzlement of ₹187 crores in the Valmiki Development Corporation scam, no one has been held accountable.