North Karnataka Leaders, One From Coast Become Karnataka Ministers
The expansion, approved by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also rewards several leaders who have held various constitutional and organisational positions
Kalaburagi: The Congress high command on Monday approved 20 names for induction into the Karnataka Cabinet, giving strong representation to North Karnataka with eight berths, while Coastal Karnataka got one ahead of the Cabinet expansion scheduled later in the day.
The list features B Nagendra, who is poised to make a comeback to the ministry after resigning from the previous Siddaramaiah Cabinet following allegations in the Maharshi Valmiki Development Corporation case.
The expansion, approved by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, includes Mankala Vaidya (Uttara Kannada district) from Coastal Karnataka. While Santosh Lad (Dharwad), Rudrappa Lamani (Haveri), Vijayanand Kashappanavar (Bagalkot) and Laxman Savadi (Belagavi) are from Kittur Karnataka, B Nagendra (Ballari), Shivaraj Tangadagi (Koppal), Dr Ajay Singh (Kalaburagi) and Basavaraj Rayareddi (Koppal) are from Kalyana Karnataka.
Tangadagi, Nagendra, Santosh Lad and Mankala Vaidya are familiar faces in the Congress government, having previously served as ministers under Siddaramaiah. Their return indicates the party leadership's preference for experienced hands in key departments.
The expansion also rewards several leaders who have held important constitutional and organisational positions. Rudrappa Lamani, who served as Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, has now entered the Cabinet. Dr Ajay Singh, who headed the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB), has been elevated to the ministry, while Basavaraj Rayareddi, who served as Political Adviser to Siddaramaiah, also finds a place in the Cabinet.
The prominence given to the northern districts is seen as a political balancing exercise by the Congress leadership, with nearly half of the new ministers coming from the North Karnataka regions. The move is expected to strengthen the party's political base in regions that have traditionally played a decisive role in Karnataka's electoral politics.
The re-induction of B Nagendra is politically significant. The Ballari leader, who belongs to the influential Valmiki community, had resigned as minister following allegations in the Maharshi Valmiki Development Corporation case. His return to the Cabinet after the SIT dropped his name is being viewed as an attempt by the Congress to regain the confidence of the Valmiki community ahead of future electoral battles.
The induction of Laxman Savadi, a prominent Lingayat leader from Belagavi who joined the Congress after leaving the BJP, is also expected to strengthen the party's outreach among Lingayat voters in Kittur Karnataka. Similarly, Vijayanand Kashappanavar's elevation stresses the importance to the Panchamasali Lingayat community.
The remaining 11 inductees are from the Old Mysuru region. They include PM Narendraswamy, KS Basavanthappa, T Raghumoorthy, BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rizwan Arshad, Madhu Bangarappa, Putturangashetty, N Chaluvaraya Swamy, KM Shivalinge Gowda, HC Balakrishna and Gayathri Shanthegowda.
GS Patil, a senior MLA from Gadag who earlier served as Chairman of the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation under the Siddaramaiah government, has been nominated as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. AS Ponnanna has been cleared for the post of Deputy Speaker, Saleem Ahmed for Chairman of the Legislative Council and Umashree for Deputy Chairperson of the Legislative Council.
Political observers believe the expansion reflects the Congress leadership's effort to strike a balance between regional representation, caste equations and administrative experience, while accommodating influential leaders from the state's northern districts and the coast, which together account for nine of the 20 new ministers.