Bangalore: New government takes shape - 28 sworn in as ministers

Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, May 18: At an impressive ceremony organized at Glass House in Raj Bhavan here, 28 ministers took oath at 10.35 am on Friday May 18. Governor, H R Bhardwaj, administered oath of office secrecy to the new team of ministers, who will help chief minister, Siddaramaiah, to rule the state for the next five years.

Ministers from Udupi and DK: Vinay Kumar Sorake, U T Khadar, Ramanath Rai, Abhaychandra Jain

R V Deshpande (Haliyal), T B Jayachandra (Sira), Qamarul Islam (Gulbarga north), Prakash Hukkeri (Chikkodi-Sadalaga), Ramalinga Reddy (BTM Layout), B Ramanath Rai (Bantwal), Shamanur Shivashankarappa (Davanagere south), H K Patil (Gadag), V Srinivas Prasad (Nanjangud), Dr H C Mahadevappa (T Narasipur), H S Mahadeva Prasad (Gundlupet), Baburao Chinchansur (Gurumathkal), Ambareesh (Mandya), Vinay Kumar Sorake (Kaup), K J George (Sarvajna Nagar), U T Khadar (Mangalore), Shivaraj Tangadagi (Kanakagiri), H Anjaneya (Holalkere), Sathish Jarkhiholi (Yamakanamaradi), and M B Patil (Obaleshwar), were sworn in as cabinet rank ministers.

K Abhayhandra Jain (Moodbidri), Dinesh Gundu Rao (Gandhinagar), Krishna Byregowda (Byatarayanapura), Sharan Prakash Patil (Sedam), Umashree (Terdal), Santosh Lad (Kalghatagi), Kimmane Ratnakar (Teerthahalli), and P T Parameshwara Naik (Hagaribommanahalli) were sworn in as ministers of state.

The ministry led by Siddaramaiah will have 20 cabinet rank ministers and eight ministers of state. The newly sworn in ministers are expected to get portfolios by tomorrow. There is information that some of them have already started lobbying for specific departments. It is almost certain that Siddaramaiah will retain finance portfolio.

It clear from the ministry formation that the chief minister has made sincere efforts to give justifiable district-wise representation MLAs hailing from  south and north Karnataka, and also to all the communities.

Umashree, a noted Kannada film actor, is the lone woman in the ministry. The chief minister has kept five slots in the ministry vacant.

Under the constitutional arrangement, Karnataka can have a 34-member ministry including the chief minister, that is 15 percent of the strength of the assembly which has 225-members, including one nominated.

Siddaramaiah had taken oath alone May 13 and spent nearly three days in New Delhi, along with state Congress chief G Parameshwara, to finalise the names of party legislators to be made ministers as there were large number of aspirants.

The Congress has won 121 seats of the 223 for which polls were held May 5 and results announced May 8.

The BJP, whose maiden rule since 2008 was marred by sex, corruption and illegal land deal scandals and dissidence, suffered a crushing defeat, and the party won just 40 seats.

The third major political party, the Janata Dal-Secular, also won 40 seats while the remaining seats were taken by small parties and Independents.

Voting for one seat, where polling was countermanded following BJP candidate's death, will take place later this month.