Basavaraj Bommai allocates cabinet portfolios, keeps Finance

Bengaluru: Ten days after taking over as Chief Minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday allocated portfolios to his ministers. Bommai retained DPAR, Finance, and Intelligence, Cabinet Affairs, Bengaluru Development and all unallotted portfolios.

BJP ministers from north Karnataka landed plum posts so did newly inducted loyal party leaders. Springing a surprise the first time minister Araga Jnanendra has been given the charge of all-important Home Department (excluding Intelligence). Those who defected from Congress and JD-(S) alliance paving the way for Yediyurappa's ascendency to CM's post retained the portfolios they held in the previous Cabinet.

For instance, CN Ashwathnarayan has been given Higher Education, IT & BT, Science & Technology and Skill Development, the same he handled previously as deputy CM under Yediyrappa. Similarly, Dr Sudhakar has retained his key portfolio of Health & Family Welfare along with Medical Education. B C Nagesh will take over Primary and Secondary Education from S Suresh Kumar. B Sreeramulu has been given Transport & ST Welfare. R Ashoka also has retained Revenue. Former deputy chief minister and senior Dalit leader Govind Karajol has been allotted the much sought after Major and Medium Irrigation. Another senior leader from Yeddyurappa's Shivamogga district KS Eshwarappa has been allotted Rural Development and Panchayat Raj which he handled in the previous government.

Similarly, V Somanna has retained Housing, Infrastructure Development. Umesh Vishwanath has been given Forest, Food & Consumer Affairs while Angara S got Fisheries, Ports & Inland Transport. J.C. Madhuswamy, who is perceived as close to Yediyurappa, has been given Minor Irrigation, Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation.

C.C.Patil, a staunch follower of Yediyurappa, has been given plum Public Works Department (PWD). Anand Singh, a leader from newly carved Vijayanagar district has been given Ecology and Environment. Kota Srinivas Poojari, an MLC and party loyalist, has been allotted Social Welfare, Backward Classes Welfare. Prabhu Chouhan has been allotted Animal Husbandry as per his wishes. Murugesh Nirani, the chief ministerial aspirant, is Large and Medium Industries Minister. Aravind Hebbar Shivaram has been given charge of Labour.

S.T.Somashekar and BC Patil have retained Co-operation department and Agriculture portfolios respectively. Bhyrathi Basavaraj, a prominent leader from Bengaluru has been allotted Urban Development (including KUWSDB & KUDC). Shashiikala Jolle, the lone woman representative in the Cabinet got Muzrai, Haj and Wakf. MTB Nagaraj, the richest minister, has been allocated Municipal Administration, Small Scale Industries, Public Sector Industries. Narayanagowda has been given Sericulture, Youth Empowerment and Sports and Sakala portfolio is held by senior BJP leader S.Sureshkumar. V.Sunilkumar, another new face and party loyalist has been given the charge of Energy portfolio which was sought by many senior BJP leaders. He has also been given charge of Kannada and Culture.

Achar Halappa Basappa has been given Mines and Geology, Women and Child Development and Disabled and Senior Citizens Empowerment portfolios. Shankar B. Patil Munenakoppa, another new face in the cabinet has been given Handloom and Textile, Sugarcane Development and Directorate of Sugar.

Muniratna, a leader from Bengaluru who fought a long legal battle after joining BJP has been given Horticulture and Planning, Programme Monitoring and Statistics department.