A week after Karnataka Chief Minster HD Kumaraswamy won a floor test, the allocation of portfolios between the two alliance partners Congress and JD(S) were finally announced on Friday. The ministers will take oath on June 6.
In a press conference called after a meeting between leaders of both parties, it was also announced that the JD(S) and Congress will jointly contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as pre-poll alliance partners.
"Congress and JD(S) will fight the next Lok Sabha election as pre-poll allies. The exact distribution of seats will be worked out and announced later. both the congress and JD(S) will work to ensure that the coalition government headed by Kumaraswamy will complete it's five year term," AICC Karnataka-in-charge KC Venugopal said.
Ex-CM Siddaramaiah has been made the head of the joint co-ordination team of the Congress and JD(S) and will oversee the working of the coalition.
As earlier speculated, the JD(S) has managed to get the Finance portfolio with CM Kumaraswamy himself touted to retain it.
KC Venugopal told reporters that the Finance portfolio had been the bone of contention between the two parties.
“Rahul Gandhi gave a directive— this alliance is the need of the hour of of the country and Congress decided to give finance portfolio to JD(S). Today morning too there were few issues pending. I met HD Deve Gowda, Kumaraswamy and Danish Ali and we settled everything,” Venugopal said.
Deputy CM Parameshwara is likely to be allotted the Home Ministry portfolio. He had held the same portfolio for a brief period during Siddaramaiah’s tenure as Chief Minister.
As expected, Congress has got the lion’s share of portfolios.
The Congress will retain Home; Irrigation; Bengaluru City Development; Industry and Sugar Industry; Health; Revenue; Urban Development; Rural Development; Agriculture; Housing; Medical Education; Social Welfare; Forest and Environment; Labour; Mines and Geology; Women and Child Welfare; Food and Civil Supplies; Haj, Wakf and Minority Affairs; Law and Parliamentary Affairs; Science and Technology; Youth, Sports and Kannada Culture; and Ports and Inland Transport Development.
The JD(S) has bagged a handful of ministries, including a few powerful ones. The JD(S) is set to get the ministries of Finance and Excise; Information and Planning; Intelligence; Energy; Co-operation; Tourism Education; Animal husbandry; Horticulture and sericulture; Small scale industry; Transport and Minor irrigation.
These announcements come after at least five rounds of talks between senior leaders of both parties.
The announcements were made In a joint press conference addressed by CM Kumarswamy, KC Venugopal, former CM Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar and Congress Lok Sabha leader Mallikarjun Kharge.