Karnataka’s cabinet expansion has been cleared, with the final list sent to Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, sources said. The swearing-in ceremony is set for 4:05 PM on Monday. Shivakumar has begun personally
calling MLAs to inform them of their inclusion in the cabinet.
Shivraj Thangadagi is among those confirmed to make the cut. He previously served as Kannada and Culture Minister in the Siddaramaiah cabinet. Videos of celebrations at his residence have also surfaced, with supporters gathering as news of his inclusion spread.
Jameer Ahmed’s Berth Reportedly Locked In
Siddaramaiah had reportedly been unhappy with former minister Zameer Ahmed Khan following the Davanagere bypoll contest, but appears to have softened his stance. Zameer’s name is said to be almost finalised in the new list.
Meanwhile, heavy lobbying has reportedly played out over the woman minister’s slot, with sources indicating Laxmi Hebbalkar’s inclusion is all but certain.
Names Doing The Rounds For Cabinet Berths
| S.No. | Probable Name(s) |
|---|---|
|
1 |
A.S. Ponnanna |
| 2 | Shivraj Thangadagi (confirmed) |
| 3 | Puttarangashetty |
| 4 | Raghumurthy |
| 5 | Yashwantrayagouda Patil |
| 6 | Ajay Singh |
| 7 | Laxman Savadi |
| 8 | Zameer Ahmed Khan |
| 9 | Shivalingegowda |
| 10 | S.S. Mallikarjun |
| 11 | Sharath Bachegowda |
| 12 | Madhu Bangarappa |
| 13 | Basavaraj Shivannanavar |
| 14 | Rudrappa Lamani |
| 15 | Santosh Lad or Srinivas Mane |
| 16 | K.S. Basavantappa or ALC Vasanthkumar |
| 17 | Chaluvarayaswamy or Balakrishna |
| 18 | Saleem Ahmed |
| 19 | Anekal Shivanna |
| 20 | Bangarpet Narayanaswamy |
| 21 | Laxmi Hebbalkar |
| 22 | Nagendra or Annapurna Tukaram or Kampli Ganesh |
State leaders had each submitted separate lists of their preferred names to the high command. With the CM now personally calling MLAs, confirmations are expected to trickle in through the day ahead of the 4:05 PM swearing-in.
