Karnataka’s expanded Congress Cabinet took shape on Monday without a woman minister after Gayathri Shanthegowda, the only woman included in the list approved by the party leadership, was left out before the swearing-in ceremony.
Siddaramaiah raised concerns?
Shanthegowda’s exclusion became the most notable change in the final composition. Those familiar with the development said Gayathri, a Kuruba leader, was kept out after former chief minister Siddaramaiah raised concerns that he had not been consulted on the appointment.
Siddaramaiah was absent from the oath-taking ceremony; however, the Cabinet’s regional distribution reflected his continuing influence, particularly in Old Mysuru.
BJP questions Congress
BJP state president BY Vijayendra questioned the Congress over women’s representation in the cabinet. “You, who spoke grandly about women, opposed the central government’s women’s bill, and now in the cabinet, you’ve given a place to just a single woman—what kind of concern is this for women’s issues?,” he asked.
“…The people will teach a fitting lesson in the coming days to this government that opposes women and fosters corruption,” he said in a post on X.
Congress on Karnataka cabinet expansion
Senior Congress leader Margaret Alva also voiced concern over the composition of the ministry. In a post on X, she said, “… I would have loved to see at least one Congress woman in the new Karnataka Cabinet sworn in today. Deeply disappointed that there isn’t one.”
Responding to the criticism, Shivakumar said, “Let them (BJP) wait; there are a lot of vacancies. Last time, too, there were no women in the first round. We are all there.”
Karnataka cabinet expansion
The region accounts for 11 ministers, the largest share in the 33-member ministry. Several leaders associated with him, including PM Narendraswamy, N Cheluvarayaswamy, KM Shivalinge Gowda and C Putturangashetty, have entered the government.
The Congress also cleared GS Patil as speaker of the Legislative Assembly, AS Ponnanna as deputy speaker, Saleem Ahmed as chairman of the Legislative Council and Umashree as deputy chairperson.
The new ministers took the oath before Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru. The expansion brought together experienced legislators and first time ministers, but the final list underwent changes in the hours before the ceremony.
Bhatkal MLA Mankal Vaidya, whose name appeared in an earlier list issued by the All India Congress Committee, was replaced by former minister SS Mallikarjun.
The expanded ministry also preserves the Congress’ existing social balance. Lingayats and Scheduled Castes have emerged as the largest community groups in the expanded Cabinet, with seven ministers each accounting for 21.2% of the 33-member cabinet.
While Lingayat representation remains unchanged, Scheduled Castes have gained one additional berth compared with the previous ministry, increasing their share from 17.6% to 21.2%. Vokkaligas hold five positions, or 15.2%, continuing the representation of Karnataka’s two dominant political communities. Muslim representation has also grown from two ministers to three, with Rizwan Arshad joining U.T. Khader and Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan.
B Nagendra (ST), who had resigned from former chief minister Siddaramaiah’s Cabinet after his name surfaced in the multi-crore financial scam in Valmiki Development Corporation and was later arrested, has made a comeback.
The Cabinet also carries the imprint of political families. Three ministers are children of former chief ministers: Yathindra Siddaramaiah, son of Siddaramaiah; Madhu Bangarappa, son of S Bangarappa; and Dr Ajay Singh, son of N Dharam Singh.
The expansion left several Congress leaders dissatisfied. Indi MLA Yashavantarayagouda V. Patil resigned after missing out on a Cabinet berth, while Sagar MLA Belur Gopalakrishna also announced his resignation.
HC Mahadevappa, HK Patil, Dinesh Gundu Rao, K Venkatesh, MC Sudhakar and Laxmi Hebbalkar were among the senior Congress leaders left outside the ministry.
Dinesh Gundu Rao expressed disappointment over his exclusion from the Karnataka cabinet, questioning the lack of transparency in the decision-making process.
“It is disappointing that after so many years of service to the state and the party, I have not been considered to serve the government in this cabinet. I am disappointed by decisions taken without being given any reason for my exclusion,” Rao wrote in a post on X,
Ahead of the expansion, Shivakumar appealed to disappointed legislators to remain patient, recalling his own wait for a ministerial position. “We have many aspirants, and many MLAs are deserving. At times, the party has to make a decision. In 2004, I too was not inducted into the Cabinet,” he said.
