The Karnataka Development Front (KDF) government on Wednesday carried out its first major cabinet expansion by inducting eight members (four each from JD-S and BJP) into the council of ministers. | |
| Governor T N Chaturvedi administered the oath of office in the presence of chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and deputy chief minister B S Yediyurappa at Vidhana Soudha. |
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| This is the first time ever that the Karnataka government is expanding the cabinet when the legislature is in session. |
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| The newly-appointed ministers are: M P Prakash, H D Revanna, H K Kumaraswamy and Zameer Ahmed Khan (all JD-S) and Ravindranath, Shivananda Naik, Revunath Belamaggi and Shashikanth Lakkappa Naik (all BJP). |
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| The expansion has caused considerable disaffection among disappointed ministerial aspirants in the BJP. A few legislators, including three-time MLA Shankarlinge Gowda, lodged their protest with the state BJP for not accommodating senior party legislators in the cabinet. |
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| Besides, once again none of the members of the Ananthkumar camp of the BJP, found a place in the cabinet. |
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| However, the CM refused to be drawn into the argument. "It (unrest in BJP) will not make any difference to this government. Four ministerial berths are yet to be filled up in the cabinet. I hope the disappointed ministerial aspirants will show patience," he told reporters. |
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| Kumaraswamy said the allocation of portfolios to the eight ministers will be done shortly. |
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