Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday inducted 10 new ministers into his six-month-old Cabinet, reported PTI. The ministers took the oath, administered by Governor Vajubhai Vala, during a ceremony at Raj Bhavan.
The ten included Yeshwanthpur MLA ST Somashekar, Gokak legislator Ramesh Jarkiholi, Anand Singh from Vijayanagar, K Sudhakar from Chikkaballapur, Krishnarajapuram MLA Byrathi Basavaraj, Yellapur legislator A Shivaram Hebbar, BC Patil from Hirekerur, K Gopalaiah from Mahalakshmi layout, KC Narayana Gowda from Krishnarajpet and Kagwad MLA Shrimant Balasaheb Patil.
They are former members of the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) and had defected from their parties last year, leading to a political turmoil in Karnataka under the erstwhile HD Kumaraswamy-led government.
One of the rebel leaders, Athani MLA Mahesh Kumathalli, was left out. “It is difficult to make him (Kumathalli) minister now,” Yediyurappa said on Wednesday. “I will call him and discuss with him. We will try to give him some other responsibility.”
The Bharatiya Janata Party government strengthened its majority in the Karnataka Assembly after the party won 12 out of the 15 seats that voted in bye-elections held on December 5. The BJP had only needed six seats to stay in power.
The bye-polls were held to fill 15 of the 17 vacancies created by the mass resignations of rebel Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs in July, which led to the fall of the HD Kumaraswamy-led government. Twelve of the 15 constituencies were earlier held by the Congress and three by the Janata Dal (Secular). The former allies – Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) – contested separately.
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