From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Aug 7: Keeping his word on allocating portfolios within 2 or 3 days of the cabinet expansion, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday announced the allocation of portfolios to all the ministers which by and large seems to have kept all the seniors happy with most of the incumbents getting their responsibilities they had held earlier under the previous B S Yediyurappa ministry.
The allocation of portfolios, which was released by Raj Bhavan after the formal approval by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, has no major surprises with the Chief Minister retaining the key portfolios of Finance and Bengaluru Development along with Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR), which controls the administrative machienery.
While J C Madhuswamy, who was divested of the Law and Parliamentary Affairs portfolio by Yediyurappa and shifted to a ministry not to his liking and after sulking got the Minor Irrigation Department, has got the portfolios of Law and Parliamentary Affairs as well as Minor Irrigation.
Dr C N Ashwath Narayan and Dr K Sudhakar, the two medical doctors by profession, have retained the portfolios held by them. Dr Narayan will head the Higher Education, IT-BT, Science and Technology and Skill Development, while Dr Sudhakar is back with his Health and Family Welfare as well as Medical Education Departments.
Another former Deputy Chief Minister (along with Dr Narayan and the dropped Laxman Savadi), who headed the Public Works Department earlier is now entrusted with Major and Medium Irrigation Departments. Another former Deputy Chief Minister R Ashok is back with his Revenue Department, while senior leader K S Eshwarappa has also retained his Rural Development and Panchayat Raj portfolios.
Poojary gets Social Welfare, Sunil Kumar Energy, Kannada/Culture
The two ministers from coastal Karnataka, Kota Srinivasa Poojary from Udupi district, is now in charge of Social Welfare and Backward Classes, with S Angara of Sullia in Dakshina Kannada is entrusted with Fisheries, Ports and Inland Transport. Another newcomer minister from Dakshina Kannada, V Sunil Kumar, is given the crucial Energy as well as Kannada and Culture portfolios.
Surprisingly, the lone woman in the Bommai cabinet, Shashikala Jolle, who was expected to be placed in charge of Women and Childrens Welfare, has been entrusted with Haj and Wakfs as well as Muzrai portfolios. K Goplaiah is the new Excise Minister while S T Somashekar getting the Cooperation Department.
Interestingly, newcomer B C Nagesh is the new Primary and Secondary Education Minister, with C C Patil getting Public Works with Murugesh R Nirani, a Lingayat who handled the Mining and Geology Departments with aplomb under Yediyurappa and was one of the top contenders for the Chief Minister’s post, has been put in charge of Large and Medium Industries Department, which was held by Jagadish Shettar.
One of the senior Lingayat leaders from Bengaluru V Somanna, who was eying the Bengaluru Development portfolio, has been put in charge of Housing and Infrastructure Department, with B Sriramulu being placed in charge of Transport and Scheduled Tribes Welfare, and another Lingayat leader B C Patil retains his Agriculture Department. Byrathi B A Basavaraj retains his Urban Development portfolio. MTB Nagaraj is the minister in charge of Municipal Administration and Small Scale Industries.
Narayana Gowda is the new minister in charge of Sericulture, Youth and Sports, with Muniratna getting Horticulture and Planning, and Arabail Shivaram Hebbar becoming the new Labour Minister.
CM meets Taralabalu Mutt pontiff
In the morning, the Chief Minister visited the Taralabalu Centre at RT Nagar in the City and received the blessings from Taralabalu Mutt pontiff Dr Shivamurthy Shivacharya Mahaswamiji.
Davangere BJP MP G M Siddeshwar accompanied Bommai during the visit.
Later, Kannada film actor Raghavendra Rajkumar, son of Kannada matinee idol late Dr Raj Kumar called on the Chief Minister at his residence and extended his greetings.
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