K’taka Cabinet Portfolios Announced: Shivakumar Keeps Finance, Key Ministries Assigned to Senior Leaders

A day after the swearing in of Karnataka's new 13 member Cabinet, Chief Minister D K Shivakumar allocated portfolios to his ministers on Thursday, retaining the crucial Finance and Personnel and Administrative Reforms departments with himself while distributing key ministries among senior colleagues.

According to the notification issued by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot , Shivakumar will also oversee all other unallocated portfolios. The portfolio allocation marks the formal completion of the Cabinet formation process, though reports of dissatisfaction within the ruling Congress surfaced over the distribution of departments.

Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara has been entrusted with the Revenue Department along with Youth Empowerment and Sports . Senior Congress leader Priyank Kharge was given the important Home Ministry while continuing to handle the Information Technology and Biotechnology portfolios that he managed in the previous government.

Several ministers retained their earlier responsibilities. K J George continued as Energy Minister and was additionally assigned Tourism . M B Patil retained Large and Medium Industries , while Satish Jarkiholi remained in charge of Public Works . K H Muniyappa kept the Food and Civil Supplies portfolio, and Sharan Prakash Patil continued as Medical Education Minister .

Among the new allocations, Krishna Byre Gowda received the strategically important Bengaluru Urban Development portfolio under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). Veteran leader Ramalinga Reddy was assigned the Major and Medium Irrigation department. Bairathi Suresh will head Transport , U T Khader has been given Health , while MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah , son of former chief minister Siddaramaiah , was allotted Urban Development . Eshwar Khandre will oversee Rural Development .

Congress sources indicated that the portfolio announcement was delayed due to discontent among some ministers. Reports suggest that Ramalinga Reddy was keen on securing the Bengaluru development portfolio and expressed disappointment after it was allotted to Krishna Byre Gowda.

Meanwhile, Shivakumar announced that Rahul Gandhi will visit Bengaluru during the filing of Rajya Sabha nomination papers by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge . Party sources also hinted that a second phase of Cabinet expansion could take place on June 10, although no official confirmation has been issued yet.