Bangalore, Aug 11 (IANS) Five more ministers were inducted in the D.V. Sadananda Gowda ministry Thursday, taking the strength of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) second government in Karnataka to 27.
The five lawmakers -- Balachandra Jarkiholi, Anand Asnotikar, Raju Gowda, C.P. Yogeshwar and Varthur Prakash -- were sworn-in by state governor H.R. Bhardwaj at a simple ceremony in Raj Bhavan here. They took the oath of office and secrecy in Kannada.
Barring Prakash, who is an Independent, the remaining four ministers are from the ruling party.
After Gowda took oath Aug 4, he expanded the cabinet by inducting 21 ministers Aug 8. As he can have a 34-member ministry, seven more berths remain to be filled.
Gowda decided to expand the cabinet for the second time at a short notice after the party high command cleared the names of the five legislators during his three-day visit to New Delhi from Aug 9,
Though Gowda advised the 21 ministers to retain the portfolios they held in the previous B.S. Yeddyurappa government, the new ministers will be allotted portfolios in a day or two.
As Gowda reiterated in Delhi Wednesday, the Reddy brothers - G. Karnunakara and G. Janardhana - were kept out of the cabinet following their indictment by the state Lokayukta (ombudsman) July 27 in the multi-crore mining scam in the state.
Incidentally, Asnotikar and Jarkiholi were sacked from the Yeddyurappa government and disqualified by Assembly Speaker K.G. Bopaiah Oct 8, 2010 for revolting against the former chief minister.
The Supreme Court, however, revoked their disqualification in May along with 14 other lawmakers, including nine from the ruling party and five Independents.
Yeddyurappa resigned as the BJP's first chief minister in south India July 31 after being in power for 38 months following his indictment by the ombudsman in the mining scam.
In a related development, party legislator B.P. Harish urged Gowda to drop Housing Minister V. Somanna from the cabinet as he too was indicted in the mining scam.
"Though I am not aspiring for any ministerial berth, Somanna's induction into the ministry is giving the government and the party a bad name," Harish told reporters here.
Sadananda Gowda gets 21 Ministers, No DCM Post for Shettar