K'taka CM allocates portfolios to 29 ministers; keeps Finance, Cabinet Affairs

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday allocated portfolios to his team of 29 ministers, retaining K Sudhakar as the person in charge of the health and medical education sectors. 

The list of portfolios also has some surprises: Debutant minister V Sunil Kumar has been given the plum energy portfolio, along with Kannada & Culture. 

Another first-time Cabinet member Araga Jnanendra is the home minister. 

First-time minister B C Nagesh replaces S Suresh Kumar as the primary and secondary education minister. Higher education and IT/BT is with CN Ashwath Narayan like last time.

With the BBMP elections coming up, it was widely expected that Bengaluru would get a dedicated minister. But, Bommai has kept the plum Bengaluru City Development Portfolio with himself. 

While most ministers have retained the portfolios they held in the previous government, the major changes include Govind Karjol getting water resources, C C Patil with public works, B Sriramulu with transport & ST welfare, Murugesh Nirani getting industries and so on. 

Shashikala Jolle, the lone woman in the Cabinet, is now minister for Muzrai, Wakf & Haj. Earlier, she was the women & child development minister and faces corruption allegations. Now, Halappa Achar is the women & child development minister. 

“I must be the luckiest CM because no minister mounted pressure for a particular portfolio,” Bommai said.