Karnataka Chief Minister to Expand Cabinet with 20 New Ministers

Cabinet Expansion in Karnataka

Bengaluru, August 3 - Just two months after taking office, Karnataka's Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar is set to expand his cabinet on Monday, where 20 new ministers will take their oaths of office. Official sources have confirmed this development. The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) announced that the swearing-in ceremony for the new ministers will take place at Lok Bhavan at 4:05 PM on Monday.

The Congress high command has approved the names of 20 individuals, including P.M. Narendraswamy, Shivraj Tangadagi, Rudrappa Lamani, K.S. Basavanappa, B. Nagendra, T. Raghumoorthy, B.Z. Zaheer Ahmed Khan, Rizwan Arshad, Santosh Lad, Madhu Bangarappa, Putturangashetty, Mankala Vaidya, Ajay Singh, N. Chaluvarayaswamy, K.M. Shivlinge Gowda, H.C. Balakrishna, Gayatri Shantigauda, Basavaraj Rayareddy, Vijayanand Kashappanavar, and Lakshman Sawadi. K.C. Venugopal, the General Secretary (Organization) of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), has informed Chief Minister Shivakumar about the approval of these names for the cabinet.

Additionally, the Congress leadership has sanctioned G.S. Patil as the new Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly and A.S. Ponnanna as the Deputy Speaker. The party has also decided to appoint Saleem Ahmed as the new Chairman of the State Legislative Council and Umashree as the Deputy Chairman.

D.K. Shivakumar took the oath of office as Chief Minister on June 3, following Siddaramaiah's resignation from the position on May 28. Alongside him, 13 ministers were sworn in.

The approved strength of the cabinet in Karnataka, including the Chief Minister, is 34.