24 Ministers to take oath in Siddaramaiah’s cabinet on Saturday
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s government will have another 24 ministers who will take oath on Saturday, sources have said.
The names have been finalised in the meeting between Mr Siddaramaiah, his deputy DK Shivakumar and Central leaders of the party in Delhi, sources have said. The Chief Minister will meet Rahul Gandhi on Friday for a sign-off.
On May 20, Siddaramaiah and state Congress President DK Shivakumar took oath as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister.
Eight MLAs — including Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s son Priyank Kharge — also took oath along with them for ministerial posts.
There, however, has been no allocation of portfolios till now — a situation that has drawn jeers from the BJP. The Congress has countered it with a reference to the weeks during the pandemic when then Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa was the only minister in the cabinet.
The drawing up of minister’s list or allocation of portfolios will be a tricky job for the Congress given the need to balance and represent various communities.
The most politically crucial community in the state, the Lingayats, had staked claim to the Chief Minister’s post, citing their big contribution to the Congress victory.