Karnataka Cabinet expansion sparks revolt, 2 MLAs quit, 20 take oath

In Karnataka, 20 MLAs on Monday take oath as ministers in the Chief Minister DK Shivakumar led government.  The swearing-in ceremony took place at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru after Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot approved the expansion. The Cabinet expansion increased the strength of the ministry to the sanctioned limit of 34, including the chief minister. Among those sworn in were PM Narendraswamy, Shivaraj Tangadagi, Rudrappa Lamani, KS Basavanthappa, B Nagendra, T Raghumoorthy, BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rizwan Arshad, Santosh Lad, Madhu Bangarappa, Putturangashetty, SS Mallikarjun, Dr Ajay Singh, N Chaluvaraya Swamy, KM Shivalinge Gowda, HC Balakrishna, Gayathri Shanthegowda, Basavaraj Rayareddi, Vijayanand Kashappanavar and Laxman Savadi.

VIDEO | Karnataka cabinet expansion: Congress MLA K S Basavanthappa takes oath as minister.

(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/p4PfDGC6zW

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Simultaniously, the Karnataka Congress faces fresh turmoil after cabinet expansion. Two Congress MLAs have announced their resignations after missing out on cabinet berths.Congress MLAs Yashavantarayagouda V Patil (Indi) and Belur Gopalakrishna (Sagar) resigned from the Karnataka Legislative assembly after being left out of the Cabinet. Yashwantraya Gowda Patil from Vijayapura has resigned on Monday While Belur MLA Gopalakrishna has said he will step down at 10 AM Tuesday.

Reacting to the disappointment among party legislators, Shivakumar urged them to remain patient. "There are many MLAs. It is not possible to accommodate everyone. Earlier, I too missed out on a ministerial berth in Siddaramaiah's Cabinet. But didn't I become a minister later? Similarly, we will provide opportunities to everyone in the future," the chief minister said.
The expansion saw the return of several former ministers, including B Nagendra, who had resigned from the previous Siddaramaiah government in 2024 over allegations linked to the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation scam. The Congress high command also approved appointments to key positions in the Karnataka Legislature. G. S. Patil has been cleared for the post of Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, A. S. Ponnanna for Deputy Speaker, Saleem Ahmed for Chairperson of the Legislative Council, and Umashree for Deputy Chairperson of the Legislative Council.

(State Correspondent)