• CM Siddharamaiah keeps Finance, IT&BT
• Dy.CM D.K. Shivakumar gets Irrigation, Bengaluru City Development
•  Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa – Social Welfar
• K. Venkatesh – Animal Husbandry & Sericulture

Bengaluru: A day after Chief Minister Siddharamaiah expanded his Cabinet with the induction of 24 new Ministers on Saturday, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, following the advice of the CM, issued a Gazette Notification late on Sunday night allotting portfolios to all the 34 members of his Cabinet.

According to the official list, which was released this morning, CM Siddharamaiah keeps Finance, Cabinet Affairs, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Intelligence, Information, IT and BT, Infrastructure Development and all unallocated portfolios.

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar gets Major and Medium Irrigation, Bengaluru City Development including BBMP, BDA, BWSSB, BMRDA, BMRCL, while senior Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara has been allotted the Home (excluding  Intelligence) portfolio.

In other portfolio allotments, H.K. Patil is Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Legislation and Tourism, K.H. Muniyappa is Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Ramalinga Reddy is Minister for Transport and Muzrai, M.B. Patil is Minister for Large and Medium Industries and K.J. George is Energy Minister. The lone woman Minister in  the Cabinet, Laxmi Hebbalkar gets Women and Child Development, Disabled and Senior Citizens Empowerment portfolio.

The Congress, which bagged 135 seats out of the 224 in the Assembly polls held on May 10, formed the Government on May 20 with Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and 8 other Ministers taking oath of office. The Cabinet was expanded on May 27, with the induction of 24 more members, thus making it full for the Siddu Government with all the permissible 34 Ministerial berths filled up.

Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa of Mysuru district is the new Social Welfare Minister while another Minister from the district K. Venkatesh has been allotted  Animal Husbandry and Sericulture portfolios. Dr. Mahadevappa had served as PWD Minister in the previous Siddharamaiah headed Congress Government (2013-2018).

Earlier on Sunday, several newly sworn-in Ministers had turned up at the official residence of CM Siddharamaiah to seek his ‘blessings’ ahead of the allocation of portfolios. However, the CM went by his prerogative and allotted the portfolios, a copy of which was sent to the Governor for approval. Subsequently, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, who had gone to Madhya Pradesh on a private visit, returned to Bengaluru late on Sunday night and signed the portfolios list sent by the CM, it is learnt.

Puttarangashetty refuses Deputy Speaker post

Meanwhile, senior MLA from Chamarajanagar C. Puttarangashetty, who is upset over being left out of the Cabinet, has refused to accept the post of Deputy Speaker, which has been offered to him.

Puttarangashetty, a four-time MLA from Chamarajanagar, had recorded his fourth straight win in the May 10 polls, defeating BJP stalwart V. Somanna. Puttarangashetty had served as a Minister in the previous Siddharamaiah headed Congress Government which was in power from 2013 to 2018.

“I don’t want to be the Deputy Speaker. I will continue to remain as MLA and would like to be with the people of my Constituency and work for them,” said Puttarangashetty while speaking to press persons at his home in Uppinahole, Yelandur Taluk, yesterday.

Stating that he is the only MLA in the State from the Uppara community and was confident of getting a Ministerial berth, he said that even the High Command and senior Congress leaders had assured him the same. “I missed the opportunity at the last minute and don’t know the exact reasons for my non-inclusion. CM Siddharamaiah and Minister Zameer Ahmed had urged me to take up the post of Deputy Speaker but I don’t want that post,” he added.

“If I become the Deputy Speaker, I won’t be able to be in touch with the people of my Constituency to the extent I want. In addition, the responsibilities of Deputy Speaker prevents me from doing Constituency work. Hence, my supporters and voters have asked me not to accept the post of Deputy Speaker,” explained the Chamarajanagar MLA.

34 Ministers and their Portfolios

1. Siddharamaiah –  Finance, Cabinet Affairs, Chief Minister Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Intelligence, Information, IT & BT, Infrastructure Development and all unallocated portfolios.

2. D.K. Shivakumar – Major and Medium Irrigation, Deputy Chief Minister Bengaluru City Development including BBMP, BDA, BWSSB, BMRDA, BMRCL (Connected to these authorities related to Town Planning).

3. Dr. G. Parameshwara – Home (excluding Intelligence).

4. H.K. Patil – Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Legislation, Tourism.

5. K.H. Muniyappa – Food and Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs.

6. Ramalinga Reddy – Transport and Muzrai.

7. M.B. Patil – Large & Medium Industries.

8. K.J. George – Energy.

9. Dinesh Gundu Rao – Health & Family Welfare.

10. Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa – Social Welfare.

11. Satish Jarakiholi – Public Works.

12. Krishna Byregowda – Revenue (excluding Muzrai).

13. Priyank Kharge – Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.

14. Shivanand Patil – Textiles, Sugarcane Development and Directorate of Sugar, Agricultural Marketing from Cooperation Department

15. B.Z. Zameer – Housing, Wakf and Ahmed Khan Minority Welfare.

16. Sharanabasappa – Small Scale Industries, Darshanapur Public Enterprises.

17. Eshwar Khandre – Forest, Ecology and Environment.

18. N. Cheluvarayaswamy – Agriculture.

19. S.S. Mallikarjun – Mines and Geology, Horticulture.

20. Rahim Khan – Municipal Administration, Haj.

21. Santhosh S. Lad – Labour.

22. Dr. Sharanaparakash Rudrappa Patil – Medical Education and Skill Development.

23. Timmapur Ramappa Balappa – Excise.

24. K. Venkatesh – Animal Husbandry and Sericulture.

25. Tangadagi Shivaraj Sangappa – Backward Class, Kannada and Culture.

26. D. Sudhakar – Planning and Statistics.

27. B. Nagendra – Youth Services, Sports and ST Welfare.

28. Kyathasandra N. Rajanna – Co-operation excluding Agriculture Marketing.

29. B.S. Suresha – Urban Development and Town Planning (including KUWSDB and KUIDFC), excluding Bengaluru City Development.

30. Laxmi R. Hebbalkar – Women and Child Development, Disabled and Senior-Citizens Empowerment.

31. Mankal Vaidya – Fisheries and Ports, Inland Transport.

32. Madhu Bangarappa – Primary and Secondary Education.

33. Dr. M.C. Sudhakar – Higher Education.

34. N.S. Boseraju – Minor Irrigation, Science and Technology