Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar Expands Cabinet Amid Internal Dissent

Chief Minister DK Shivakumar expanded his cabinet on Monday by inducting 20 new ministers, bringing the government to its full strength. The expansion follows months of internal consultations aimed at balancing regional, caste, and political representation. Alongside the ministerial appointments, the Congress party named GS Patil as speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, AS Ponnanna as deputy speaker, Salem Ahmed as Chairperson of the Legislative Council, and Umashree as deputy chairperson.

While the expansion concludes a prolonged exercise by party leadership, it has triggered dissent among some legislators. Three-time MLA Yashwanthrayagouda Patil resigned from the Assembly, stating he was hurt for being overlooked. Legislator Belur Gopalkrishna also announced his intention to resign as MLA and as chairman of the State Forest Industries Corporation, claiming that only children of ministers or chief ministers have a chance at becoming ministers. Additionally, six-time MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao expressed disappointment on social media regarding his exclusion from the cabinet despite his years of service.

Chief Minister Shivakumar responded to the grumbling by stating that it is not possible to accommodate all MLAs and that opportunities will be provided to others in the future. He noted that he had also missed a ministerial berth in the previous Siddaramaiah Cabinet before eventually becoming a minister.

Reports indicate that former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah maintained significant influence over the selection, as 21 of the 33 ministers in the current cabinet previously served under him. The final list also saw last minute changes from the AICC, including the removal of Mankala Vaidya to accommodate S S Mallikarjun.