The expansion of the Karnataka Cabinet led by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has been postponed to June 14 as the state will observe a three-day mourning period from Tuesday following the death of legendary playwright and actor Girish Karnad, PTI reported. Karnad died in Bengaluru on Monday morning at the age of 81.
The Cabinet expansion and swearing-in ceremony of new ministers were earlier scheduled to be held on June 12. “Following the death of Jnanpith awardee, writer and theatre personality Girish Karnad, the swearing-in of new ministers scheduled for Wednesday, June 12 has been rescheduled to Friday, June 14 at 1 PM,” the Chief Minister’s Office said in a statement.
The coalition government of the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Congress decided to fill three Cabinet posts amid speculations of its collapse following the alliance’s disastrous performance in the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP swept the elections, winning 25 of the 28 seats in the state.
Two of the Cabinet posts up for grabs will go to the Janata Dal (Secular) while one will be taken by the Congress. A Cabinet reshuffle is also in the cards, and a few ministers might be asked to step down, PTI quoted unidentified officials as saying.
At present, the Congress holds 22 of the 34 ministerial berths while the Janata Dal (Secular) is in charge of the rest. The BJP has 105 MLAs in the 224-member Assembly right now while the Congress-JD(S) coalition has 116 MLAs and the support of two Independent legislators and a Bahujan Samaj Party MLA.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!