May 29, 2023: In a late-night development on Sunday, the final allocation of portfolios in Karnataka was announced, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah securing the IT/BT department following a heated contest between two lawmakers vying for the position.
The portfolio list was eventually approved by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, but not before Siddaramaiah succumbed to pressure from ministers, resulting in multiple revisions. Initially, MB Patil was assigned the IT/BT portfolio along with Industries. However, in a subsequent revision, IT/BT was handed over to Priyank Kharge, who also received Rural Development & Panchayat Raj. This move was met with opposition from Patil, who expressed his keenness to take up IT/BT. Consequently, Siddaramaiah retained the IT/BT portfolio for now, with the possibility of later allocating it to Patil.
Similarly, the allocation of the Kannada & Culture portfolio saw some back-and-forth. B Nagendra was initially assigned the portfolio but expressed his skepticism as a non-native Kannada speaker. As a result, the portfolio was ultimately given to Shivaraj Tangadagi. Additionally, as per Nagendra's demand, he received the ST Welfare portfolio along with Youth Empowerment & Sports, being a Valmiki by caste.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has been entrusted with the Bengaluru City Development portfolio, making him the fourth consecutive non-Bengaluru legislator to oversee the city's affairs. Previously, during the JD(S)-Congress coalition, G Parameshwara (Koratagere) served as the Bengaluru minister, followed by BS Yediyurappa (Shikaripura) during the BJP's tenure, and then Basavaraj Bommai (Shiggaon).
Ramalinga Reddy has been appointed as the transport minister with the responsibility of fulfilling the Congress' promise of providing free bus travel to women (Shakti). Initially hesitant about the transport portfolio, Reddy was convinced after being assigned the additional responsibility of Muzrai.
Siddaramaiah's associate KJ George has been appointed as the head of the energy department, which faces the pressure of providing 200 units of free power to all households (Gruha Jyoti). Senior leader KH Muniyappa will oversee the food & civil supplies department, responsible for fulfilling the Anna Bhagya promise of providing 10 kg of free rice to every member of below poverty line (BPL) households. Laxmi Hebbalkar, a close aide of Shivakumar, will lead the women & child development department, which is currently working on providing Rs 2,000 per month to all women heads of households (Gruha Lakshmi).
Santosh Lad has been appointed as the Labour minister, responsible for the implementation of the unemployment allowance (Yuva Nidhi). Dr Sharanaprakash Patil will serve as the skill development minister. Lawmakers reportedly faced some reluctance in accepting portfolios linked to specific guarantees.
Overall, the final allocation of portfolios witnessed changes driven by pressure from ministers and lawmakers vying for certain positions.
Here is the complete list.
1. CM Siddaramaiah - Finance, IT-BT, Co-operation, Information, Horticulture and Sericulture Department.
2. DCM D.K. Shivakumar - Water Resources, Bangalore Urban Development.
3. Dr. J. Parameshwara - Home Department.
4. H.K. Patil - Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Tourism.
5. K.H. Muniyappa - Food and Civil Supplies.
6. Ramlingle Reddy - Transport and Excise.
7. M.B. Patil - Large and Medium Industries.
8. K.J. George - Energy.
9. Dinesh Gundu Rao - Health and Family Welfare.
10. H.C. Mahadevappa - Social Welfare.
11. Sateesh Jarakiholi - Minor Irrigation.
12. Krishna Byregowda - Agriculture.
13. Priyank Kharge - Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.
14. Shivanand Patil - Rural Development and Co-operation Department's Agricultural Marketing.
15. Zameer Ahmed Khan - Housing, Wakf, and Minority Affairs.
16. Sharanabasappa Darshanapur - Small Scale Industries, Public Enterprises.
17. Eshwar Khandre - Forest and Environment Department.
18. Chaluvarayaswamy - Agriculture.
19. S.S. Mallikarjun - Mines and Geology, Horticulture.
20. Rahim Khan - Revenue, Haj Department.
21. Santosh Lad - Labor.
22. Dr. Sharanprakash Patil - Medical Education, Skill Development.
23. R.B. Timmapur - Excise.
24. K. Venkatesh - Animal Husbandry and Sericulture Department.
25. Shivaraj Tangadagi - Backward Classes, Kannada and Culture Department.
26. Dr. Sudhakar - Planning and Statistics Department.
27. B. Nagendra - Youth Services and Sports, Scheduled Caste Welfare.
28. K.N. Rajanna - Co-operation.
29. Bairathi Suresh - Urban Development, Town Planning (excluding Bengaluru).
30. Lakshmi Hebbalkar - Women and Child Welfare, Disabled and Senior Citizens Welfare.
31. Mankal Vaidya - Fisheries, Ports, Inland Transport.
32. Madhu Bangarappa - Primary and Secondary Education.
33. Dr. M.C. Sudhakar - Higher Education.
34. N.S. Bose Raju - Small Irrigation and Science and Technology.
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