Bengaluru: Head of Karnataka Minister Basavaraj Bommai viewed 29 ministers into his cabinet on Wednesday, retaining most of the faces from his predecessor BS Yediyurappa Ministry.
The awaited cabinet expansion came a week after Bommai took over as head of state minister, following the resignation of Yediyurappa.
Bommai previously said he would not have a team deputy major in his cabinet according to the instructions of the high command.
Yediyurappa’s younger son and BJP Vice President BJP BJP BJ Y Vijayendra is not included in the cabinet.
The Governor of State Thaiwarchand Gehlot gave an office oath to the new ministers in Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru.
Six new facesbommai teams are a mixture of senior and fresh faces.
Of the 29 leaders who took an oath on Wednesday, 23 was a minister in the previous cabinet while six new.
Among those in the Yediyurappa cabinet which made it to the Ministry of Bommai was Govad Karjol (Mudhol), KS Esharappa (Shivamogga), R Ashoka (Padmanabhanagar), CN Ashwath Narayan (Malleshwaram), B Sriramulu (Molkalmuru), Umesh Katti (hukkeri) , ST Somashekar (Yeshwanthpur), K Sudhakar (Chikkaballapura), and BC Patil (Hirekeruru).
Also, JC Madhuswamy (Chiksayatahalli), Prabhu Chauuhan (AURAD), V Somanna (Govindraj Nagar), S Angara (Sullia), Anand Singh (Vijayanagara), CC Patil (Nargund), MTB Nagaraj (MLC) and the city of Srinivas Poojary (MLC )).
The six faces of the fresh face are V Sunil Kumar (Karkala), Araga Jnanendra (Thirthahalli), Munirathna (RR Nagar), Halappa Achar (Yelburga), Shankar Patil Munenkopp (Navalgunda) and BC Nagesh.
Bommai has maintained the caste equation by triggering most ministers from the two main communities in the state, while also providing a considerable representation to the people to retreat.
In the new cabinet, 8 ministers are Lingayats, 7 Vokcaligas, 7 OBC, 3 SCS, 2 Brahmins, 1 St and 1 Reddy.
Former Minister Shashikala Jolle was a representative of a woman alone in the new cabinet.
Following the “promise”, Bommai has triggered 10 legislators who have joined BJP after quit the Congress-JD coalition in 2019, and help the Safron party to rule.
Eleven of them were a minister in the Yediyurappa government, from those two Patil and R Shankar had not made it a Bommai cabinet, while Munirathna was just released.
(With input from agency)