Swearing-in ceremony scheduled for Monday evening at Lok Bhavan
The Karnataka government is set for a major political reshuffle on Monday as Chief Minister DK Shivakumar expands his Cabinet for the first time since assuming office. A total of 20 Congress MLAs will take oath as ministers during a ceremony scheduled for 4:05 pm at the Lok Bhavan complex, taking the state Cabinet to its full sanctioned strength.
The long-awaited expansion comes nearly two months after Shivakumar became Chief Minister following the Congress leadership transition in the state.
Cabinet to Reach Maximum Strength
With the induction of 20 ministers, the Karnataka Cabinet will have 34 members, including the Chief Minister, which is the maximum number permitted under constitutional provisions. The state currently has 14 ministers, including Shivakumar.
The Congress high command approved the final list of ministers, with the decision communicated to the Chief Minister by AICC General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal.
20 MLAs Approved for Induction
The legislators set to be sworn in as ministers are:
- PM Narendraswamy
- Shivaraj Tangadagi
- Rudrappa Lamani
- KS Basavanthappa
- B Nagendra
- T Raghumoorthy
- BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan
- Rizwan Arshad
- Santosh Lad
- Madhu Bangarappa
- Putturangashetty
- SS Mallikarjuna
- Ajay Singh
- N Chaluvaraya Swamy
- KM Shivalinge Gowda
- HC Balakrishna
- Gayathri Shanthegowda
- Basavaraj Rayareddi
- Vijayanand Kashappanavar
- Laxman Savadi
Key Legislative Posts Also Finalised
Apart from the Cabinet expansion, the Congress leadership has finalised appointments for several important legislative positions. GS Patil has been chosen as the new Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, while AS Ponnanna will serve as Deputy Speaker.
The party has also nominated Saleem Ahmed as Chairman of the State Legislative Council and Umashree as the Deputy Chairperson.
Leadership Transition in Karnataka
DK Shivakumar assumed office as Chief Minister on June 3 after Siddaramaiah stepped down as part of the Congress leadership transition. Thirteen ministers had taken oath alongside Shivakumar during the formation of the new government.
The change in leadership followed the Congress’ internal power-sharing arrangement after its Assembly election victory. Siddaramaiah has since announced that he will not contest the 2028 Assembly elections and will instead continue to guide the party.
