DK Shivakumar’s cabinet overhaul: 9 first-timers, CM keeps Law, Finance

As a result, N Chaluvarayaswamy, who previously served as Agriculture Minister in the former Siddaramaiah administration, takes charge as the Minister for Major and Minor Irrigation.

Continuity and additional charges

Several ministers have retained their core responsibilities under Shivakumar’s leadership. They are Santosh Lad (Labour and Employment), S S Mallikarjun (Mines and Geology; Horticulture), Madhu Bangarappa (Primary and Secondary Education), Shivaraj Tangadagi (Backward Classes Welfare; Kannada and Culture) and B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan (Housing).

Meanwhile, U T Khader, who was allocated Health and Family Welfare in June, assumes additional responsibility for the Minority Welfare, Haj, and Wakf portfolios, which Khan previously held.

First-time ministers

The list includes several first-time Cabinet inductees. They are Rizwan Arshad (Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs), Narendra Swamy (Agriculture), H C Balakrishna (Municipal Administration), K M Shivalingegowda (Excise), Dr Ajay Singh (Minor Irrigation; Science and Technology), T Raghumurthy (ST Welfare), K S Basavanthappa (Muzrai, Fisheries, Ports, and Inland Water Transport), Vijayanand Kashappanavar (Small Scale Industries and Public Enterprises), and Rudrappa Lamani (Sugar and Textiles).

Experienced hands

Basavaraj Raya Reddy returns to Higher Education, a portfolio he previously managed during Siddaramaiah’s 2013–2018 tenure. Former Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi, who joined Congress from the BJP ahead of the 2023 elections, takes charge of Cooperation. Veteran leaders K H Muniyappa (Social Welfare) and C P Yogeshwar/ C S Puttaranga Shetty (Animal Husbandry and Sericulture) also feature among the repeat ministers.

The allocation of portfolios follows weeks of internal negotiations aimed at resolving differences between party factions and addressing disgruntlement among legislators over Cabinet berths.

On Monday, attempting to diffuse resentment among legislators omitted from the expanded Karnataka Cabinet, CM Shivakumar reached out to disgruntled party leaders in the Kolar region, telling them that “every MLA here is a chief minister and minister in terms of responsibility”.