Karnataka cabinet expansion: 19 ministers sworn in under CM Shivakumar
Synopsis
Karnataka's long-delayed cabinet expansion finally arrived on 3 August — but not without drama. Nineteen Congress MLAs were sworn in under CM D.K. Shivakumar, yet the ceremony was overshadowed by MLC Gayathri Shanthegowda skipping the oath despite being on the official list, a vacant berth left deliberately open, and former CM Siddaramaiah's conspicuous absence.
Key Takeaways
19 Congress MLAs were sworn in as Cabinet Ministers in Karnataka on 3 August at Lok Bhavan, Bengaluru .
Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath; CM D.K.
Shivakumar and Deputy CM G.
Parameshwara were present.
MLC Gayathri Shanthegowda was named on the official list but did not take oath; her berth has been kept vacant amid internal party opposition.
Former CM Siddaramaiah was notably absent from the swearing-in ceremony.
Mallikarjun was reportedly dropped from the initial list but reinstated at the last minute after Mankal Vaidya was removed.
Portfolio allocations are expected to be announced shortly after the expansion.
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar oversaw the induction of 19 new Cabinet Ministers into the Karnataka Congress government on Monday, 3 August, at a ceremony held at the Glass House, Lok Bhavan, Bengaluru. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath of office and secrecy, marking the long-awaited expansion of the state cabinet.
Key Developments at the Swearing-In
The ceremony opened and closed with renditions of Vande Mataram, the National Anthem, and the State Anthem. Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara was present, while former Chief Minister and Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Siddaramaiah remained notably absent.
Notably, Congress MLC Gayathri Shanthegowda, whose name had appeared on the party's announced list, did not take the oath. According to Congress insiders, the party high command kept her berth vacant following strong internal opposition and rebellion over the cabinet reshuffle — leaving one seat unfilled amid visible factional tension.
Who Was Sworn In
Ajay Singh, a three-time MLA and son of former Chief Minister late N. Dharam Singh, represents the Jewargi constituency in Kalaburagi district. H.C. Balakrishna, a five-time MLA and close associate of the Chief Minister, represents Magadi in Ramanagara district.
First-time MLA K.S. Basavanthappa of the reserved Mayakonda constituency in Davangere district took oath in the name of Jagajyothi Basaveshwara. Senior Congress leader Basavaraja Rayareddi, a six-term MLA and former Member of Parliament who once served as Economic Adviser to Siddaramaiah, was also sworn in from the Yelburga constituency in Koppal district.
Other inductees include N. Cheluvarayaswamy (four-time MLA, Nagamangala, Mandya), a former Janata Dal (Secular) associate of Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy who later joined Congress; and Laxman Sangappa Savadi, a four-term MLA from Athani in Belagavi district, who had quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections after being denied a party ticket.
Madhu Bangarappa, son of former Chief Minister late S. Bangarappa, represents Sagar in Shivamogga district. S.S. Mallikarjun, the Davanagere North MLA, was reportedly dropped from the initial list but reinstated at the last minute after senior Congress leader Mankal Vaidya was removed — his wife Prabha Mallikarjun is a Congress MP and his son Samarth Mallikarjun is the MLA from Davangere South.
Other ministers sworn in include B. Nagendra (Ballari Rural), P.M. Narendraswamy (Malavalli, Mandya), C. Puttarangasetty (Chamarajanagar), T. Raghu Moorthy (Challakere, Chitradurga), Rizwan Arshad (Shivajinagar, Bengaluru), Rudrappa Lamani (Haveri) — who served as Deputy Speaker under the Siddaramaiah government — Santhosh Lad (Kalaghatgi, Dharwad), K.M. Shivalinge Gowda (Arasikere, Hassan), Shivaraj Tangadgi (Kanakagiri, Koppal), Vijayananda Kashappanavar (Hungund, Bagalkot), and B.Z. Zameer Ahmad Khan, a five-term MLA from Chamarajpet in Bengaluru.
Internal Discord and the Vacant Berth
The expansion was delayed for months amid intense factional negotiations within the Karnataka Congress. The exclusion of Gayathri Shanthegowda — despite being named in the official list — underlines how contested the reshuffle remained until the final hour. This is the first significant cabinet expansion since the Congress returned to power in Karnataka following its 2023 Assembly election victory.
The episode also reflects broader tensions between loyalists of Chief Minister Shivakumar and the Siddaramaiah camp, with the former Chief Minister's absence from the ceremony drawing attention.
What Comes Next
With 19 ministers now inducted, the Congress government has substantially widened its cabinet, though portfolio allocations are yet to be announced. The allocation of ministerial responsibilities is expected to be declared shortly, and how portfolios are distributed will be closely watched as a further indicator of the balance of power within the ruling party.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many ministers were sworn into the Karnataka cabinet on 3 August?
Nineteen legislators were sworn in as Cabinet Ministers in the Karnataka Congress government on 3 August at the Glass House, Lok Bhavan, Bengaluru. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath in the presence of CM D.K. Shivakumar and Deputy CM G. Parameshwara.
Why did Gayathri Shanthegowda not take the oath despite being on the list?
According to Congress insiders, the party high command kept her berth vacant following strong internal opposition and rebellion over the cabinet reshuffle. Her name appeared in the announced list, but she did not participate in the swearing-in ceremony.
Why was former CM Siddaramaiah absent from the swearing-in ceremony?
The source does not give an official reason for Siddaramaiah's absence. His non-attendance is widely seen as a reflection of the ongoing factional tensions within Karnataka Congress between his camp and that of CM Shivakumar.
When will the new Karnataka ministers receive their portfolios?
Portfolio allocations had not been announced at the time of the swearing-in ceremony. According to reports, the allocation of ministerial responsibilities is expected to be declared shortly after the expansion.
Who are some of the notable ministers inducted into the Karnataka cabinet?
Notable inductees include Basavaraja Rayareddi (six-term MLA, former MP), Laxman Sangappa Savadi (former Deputy CM, ex-BJP), Madhu Bangarappa (son of former CM S. Bangarappa), B.Z. Zameer Ahmad Khan (five-term MLA, Chamarajpet), and Rizwan Arshad (Shivajinagar, Bengaluru), among others.
