20 MLAs inducted into Karnataka cabinet; GS Patil to be Speaker 

In a deft move, Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Monday inducted 20 ministers in the first expansion of his cabinet since taking charge of the top post. Many of the faces are new with a mix of caste and regional arithmetics essential to the southern state.

The expansion strengthens the Shivakumar cabinet that took charge of the state back in June. The influential Vokkaliga leader had replaced Siddaramaiah in a leadership change that had long been the subject of a power tussle in Karnataka.

With the latest round of expansion, the cabinet strength rises from 14 to 34.

The new leaders include P M Narendraswamy (Malavalli), Shivaraj Tangadagi (Kanakagiri), Rudrappa Lamani (Haveri), K S Basavanthappa (Mayakonda), B Nagendra (Ballari rural), T Raghumoourthy (Challakere), B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan (Chamarajpet), Rizwan Arshad (Shivajinagar), Santosh Lad (Kalaghatagi), Madhu Bangarappa (Soraba), among others.

G S Patil has been chosen as the new speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, while A S Ponnanna will serve as the deputy speaker.

The expansion marks the comeback of former Scheduled Tribes welfare minister B Nagendra. A former BJP leader, who had moved to the Congress in 2018, Nagendra had resigned from the cabinet in 2024 over charges linked to the Valmiki Development Corporation scam.

Besides, two minority faces are also part of the expansion—B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan and Rizwan Arshad.

Children of three former chief ministers are now part of Shivakumar’s Cabinet. They are Yathindra Siddaramaiah (already a minister), Kumar Bangarappa (son of S Bangarappa) and Ajay Singh (son of N Dharam Singh).

Incidentally, six of these 20 new ministers were part of the previous government led by Siddaramaiah.

Gayathri Shanthegowda, whom the Supreme Court’s recent verdict declared elected from the Chikkamagaluru Local Authorities’ Constituency, will be the lone woman member in the Cabinet.

Her election followed the court setting aside BJP’s M K Pranesh’s election to the legislative council in December 2021.

Former deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi and Shivalinge Gowda, who joined the Congress from the BJP and JD(S), respectively, ahead of the 2023 assembly polls, are also becoming ministers this time.

This much-awaited cabinet expansion aims to maintain social and regional representation, including adequate representation for AHINDA communities, women and younger legislators. The leadership is also seeking to strike a balance between legislators considered close to Shivakumar and those aligned with Siddaramaiah.

AHINDA politics refers to a powerful social and electoral coalition in Karnataka representing ‘Alpasankhyataru’ (minorities), ‘Hindulidavaru’ (backward classes), and ‘Dalitaru’ (dalits).

The expansion was expected to take place earlier but was delayed as the Congress leadership worked to strike a balance between experienced leaders and first-time ministers while ensuring equitable representation across Karnataka’s regions and communities.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Shivakumar urged disappointed legislators to remain patient, saying it was “not possible to accommodate everyone” in the ministry. Recalling his own political journey, he said he too had once missed out on a cabinet berth before eventually becoming a minister.

“Similarly, we will ensure that everyone gets an opportunity in the future,” he said.

His remarks came after Congress MLA Yashwantrayagouda V Patil resigned after missing out on a cabinet berth, while Belur MLA Gopalakrishna is expected to follow suit, according to sources.

More than 15 disgruntled legislators also held a closed-door meeting at senior leader P V Jayachandra’s residence in Bengaluru to discuss their next course of action. Sources said senior leaders, including H K Patil and Dinesh Gundu Rao, attended the meeting.