Twenty-five legislators of the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) were sworn in as Ministers in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office to them at the Raj Bhavan from 2. 12 p.m.
The Cabinet, headed by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, now has 10 Ministers from the JD(S). It includes Congress leaders D. K. Shivakumar, K. J. George, N. H. Shivashankar Reddy and the JD(S)' H.D Revanna and G. T. Devegowda.
The Cabinet expansion follows several days of consultations between the Congress and the (JD(S) on allocation of portfolios.
Here are the updates:
3: 25 p.m.: Actor-turned-politician Jaimala Ramachandra from the Congress takes the oath of office. She is the only woman MLC to be sworn in today. She created a controversy in 2006 by claiming to have entered the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala during her prime and touched the idol of the presiding deity.
3: 21 p.m.: R. Shankar, who won as an independent candidate from Ranibennur, takes the oath. He supported the Congress after the results.
3: 15 p.m.: Shivanand Patil, Venkataramanappa, Rajshekar Basavaraj Patil and C. Puttaranga Shetty take the oath.
3: 10 p.m.: Lone BSP MLA N. Mahesh is being sworn in now. The BSP is in an alliance with the JD(S).
3: 05 p.m. B. Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan, who quit the JD(S) to join the Congress, is taking the oath. He is the MLA from Chamarajpet.
2: 58 p.m.: U. T. Abdul Khader from the Congress, who was the former Food and Civil Supplies Minsiter, takes the oath. He held the Health portfolio in the Siddaramaiah Cabinet
2: 56 p.m.: JD(S) MLAs C.S. Puttaraju from Melkote and S.R. Mahesh from K. R. Nagar take the oath.
2: 53 p.m.: Priyank Kharge, son of veteran Congress leader M Mallikharjun Kharge, is being sworn in.
2: 47 p.m.: S.R. Srinivas from the JD(S) takes the oath. He is a first-time Minister.
2: 44 p.m.: Mr. Shivashankar Reddy, former Deputy Speaker, and Ramesh Jharkiholi are being sworn in.
2: 40 p.m.: D. C. Thamanna from the JD(S) takes the oath. He is also a first-time Minister.
2: 37 p.m.: Krishna Byregowda from the Congress takes the oath. He is the former Agriculture Minister.
2: 35 p.m.: K. J. George takes the oath. He is the former Minister for City Development.
2: 34 p.m. G. T. Devegowda, who defeated former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Chamundeshwari, takes the oath.
2: 32 p.m.: D.K. Shivakumar is being sworn in. He is believed t o have got upset over the Energy portfolio, which he held in the previous Congress government, going into the JD(S) kitty. Soon after the formation of the coalition government on May 23, he had expressed his disappointment over the party high command denying him the post of Deputy Chief Minister.
2: 30 p.m.: Bandappa Kashampur from the JD(S) takes the oath.
2: 25 p.m.: R. V. Deshpande from the Congress takes the oath.
2: 20 p.m.: Mr. Revanna, brother of Mr. Kumaraswamy, is the first person to take the oath. Mr. Revanna, who was firm on getting both Energy and Public Works Department (PWD) — has settled for just the PWD. The issue was sorted out after a three-hour meeting with JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda, sources said.
What we know so far
The sources said earlier that the Congress, which had a long list of ministerial aspirants, is likely to keep four or five berths vacant. This is part of a strategy to meet any exigencies of dissidence that may crop up after the expansion.
The JD(S), too, has decided not to fill all its Cabinet berths in one go.
