Just ahead of the government completing six months, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has reshuffled district and COVID in-charge ministers.
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According to the new list announced on January 24, the Chief Minister retains Bengaluru Urban district, which was being eyed by several senior ministers from Bengaluru including R. Ashok and V. Somanna. The highlight of the reshuffle is that most of the ministers have not been given their native districts.
There were expectations of the in-charge responsibility for Bengaluru being passed on to a prominent minister in the wake of the impending elections to the BBMP. The lack of change is being attributed to the lack of consensus among senior ministers on who should hold this responsibility.
Revenue Minister R. Ashok and Law & Parliamentary Affairs Minister J. C. Madhuswamy have not been given responsibility of any district. This has triggered speculations that they may get some other responsibility.
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Senior Minister K. S. Eshwarappa, who was in charge of hishome district of Shivamogga, has now been made in-charge of Chikkamagaluru.
Anand Singh’s efforts to become in-charge minister of his native district of Vijayanagara has not yielded results. He has been made in-charge of Koppal district.
Sriramulu has been made in-charge of his native district of Ballari.
Higher Education Minister C..N. Ashwath Narayan continues to hold charge of Ramanagaram district. This has assumed importance in the wake of him publicly taking on prominent Congress leaders D. K. Shivakumar and his brother as well as MP D. K. Suresh on their home turf. Some of the ministers, including Gopalaiah and B. C. Patil, have been given the charge of two districts.
The reshuffle is being seen as an effort to shake up the administrative machinery ahead of a series of polls, including the zilla and taluk panchayat polls and the 2023 Assembly elections.