The Karnataka cabinet portfolios were reshuffled late on Wednesday night, and received Governor Vajubhai Vala’s nod on Thursday morning. Several prominent portfolios have been juggled to make way for the seven newly-inducted ministers in Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s cabinet. Yediyurappa, however, has retained the coveted Bengaluru Development Ministry.
Yediyrappa’s closest friend and Hukkeri MLA Umesh Katti has been allocated the Food and Civil Supplies portfolio, formerly under Mahalakshmi Layout MLA K Gopalaiah, who has now been allocated the Horticulture Development, Sugarcane Development and Directorate of Sugars. The Sugar Ministry was earlier headed by Arabail Shivaram Hebbar, who will now only retain the Labour Ministry.
The Fisheries portfolio has been reallocated to Sullia MLA S Angara. The portfolio was earlier with Kota Srinivas Poojary, who will now head the Ministries of Muzrai, and Backward Classes Welfare. The Backward Classes Welfare Portfolio was earlier held by BS Yediyurappa.
Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai has been given an additional portfolio of Law and Parliamentary Affairs, which was previously handled by Chikkanayakanahalli MLA JC Madhuswamy. He will now be the Minister for Medical Education.
Dr K Sudhakar, who previously had the Medical Education, will now only be the Minister of Health and Family Welfare. CC Patil, one of the BJP MLAs caught watching porn in the Assembly in 2012, has been made the Minister for Small Scale Industries and Information and Public Relations. He earlier held the Mines and Geology portfolio, which has been reallocated to MLA from Bilgi and sugar baron Murugesh Rudrappa Nirani.
The BJP government had come under fire after it had allocated the Forest portfolio to mining baron and Ballari MLA Anand Singh. The Forest Ministry has now been allocated to Mahadevapura MLA Aravind Limbavalli. Anand Singh will be the Minister for Tourism, Environment and Ecology.
Karnataka’s richest politician, MTB Nagaraju, with declared assets amounting to Rs 1,220 crore, has been made the Minister for Excise. This was previously headed by Independent MLA from Mulbagal, H Nagesh, who stepped down as the minister. CP Yogeeshwar is now the Minister of the Minor Irrigation Department. R Shankar alias Pendulum Shankar is the Minister for Municipal Administration and Sericulture. The Haj and Wakf Ministry has been reallocated to KR Pete MLA Narayana Gowda. It was earlier headed by incumbent Minister for Animal Husbandry Prabhu Chauhan.