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The Congress high command on Monday approved the expansion of the D. K. Shivakumar-led Karnataka Cabinet, clearing the names of 20 ministers, including one woman, Gayathri Shanthegowda. 12 new faces get a chance, while 8 incumbent ministers are retained in the new cabinet composition.
According to an official press release, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge approved the induction of PM Narendraswamy, Shivaraj Tangadagi, Rudrappa Lamani, KS Basavanthappa, B Nagendra, T Raghumoorthy, BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rizwan Arshad, Santosh Lad, Madhu Bangarappa, Putturangashetty, Mankala Vaidya, Ajay Singh, N. Chaluvaraya Swamy, KM Shivalinge Gowda, HC Balakrishna, Gayathri Shanthegowda, Basavaraj Rayareddi, Vijayanand Kashappanavar, and Laxman Savadi as ministers. The oath-taking ceremony of the Karnataka cabinet expansion will take place at 04:05 PM at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru. Among the approved names, Gayathri Shanthegowda is the only woman minister. The list also includes several new entrants to the cabinet, including PM Narendraswamy, KS Basavanthappa, T. Raghumoorthy, Putturangashetty, Ajay Singh, and Gayathri Shanthegowda, while several former ministers are making a return to the Council of Ministers. 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. Earlier in the day, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge said the final decision on the cabinet expansion rested with the Congress high command. Speaking to reporters, Kharge said, "The high command is deciding on it, and we are expecting it to be announced today. We have more than 140 MLAs. We have MLAs in every district. We have MLAs in every community. We have a lot of capable leaders. We have depth in leadership. So, it is going to be difficult to pick only 30 out of the 140 legislators we have." The D.K. Shivakumar ministry represents the current council of ministers in Karnataka, formed following a leadership transition. Operating under the leadership of Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, the administration features a mix of key cabinet members including G. Parameshwara, KH Muniyappa, KJ George, MB Patil, Ramalinga Reddy, Satish Jarkiholi, Krishna Byre Gowda, Priyank Kharge, UT Khader, Eshwara Khandre, Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Byrathi Suresh, and Sharan Prakash Patil. (ANI)
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