29 ministers sworn into Basavaraj Bommai Cabinet at Raj Bhavan

Bengaluru, Aug 4 (IANS): Karnataka's new government headed by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai took shape on Wednesday, when 29 ministers were sworn into the state Cabinet by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot at Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru. The team is a mixture of senior and fresh faces. It includes Govind Karajol, K.S. Eshwarappa, R. Ashok, V. Somanna, V. Umesh Katti and new faces V. Sunil Kumar Araga Jnanendra, Halappa Achar and B.C. Nagesh and others. There is a lone woman representative former minister Shashikala Jolle. The prominent omissions include former deputy chief minister Lakshman Savadi, and former ministers S. Sureshkumar, Sreemanth Patil, C.P. Yogeshwar and Aravind Limbavali. The chief ministerial aspirants Basavanagouda Patil Yatnal and Aravind Bellad also missed cabinet berths. The ministers in the new cabinet include Govind Karajol, K.S. Eshwarappa, R. Ashok, B. Sriramulu, V. Somanna, V. Umesh Katti, S. Angara, J.C. Madhuswamy, Araga Jananedra, Dr Ashwathnarayan C.N., C.C. Patil, Anand Singh, Kota Srinivas Poojari, Prabhu Chouhan, Murugesh Nirani, Shivaram Hebbar, S.T. Somashekar, B.C. Patil, Bhyrathi Basavaraju, Dr K. Sudhakar, K. Gopalaih, Shashikala Jolle, MTB Naagaraju, K.C. Narayana Gowda, B.C. Nagesh, V. Sunilkumar, Halappa Basappa Achar, Shankar Patil Munenakoppa and Muniratna. Chief Minister Bommai is expected to chair the first cabinet meeting in the evening. Though it was maintained that regional balance will be maintained, but as many as 13 districts went without representation. Six districts have been allotted two cabinet berths. Capital Bengaluru has been awarded 7 cabinet posts. Eight Lingayats, 7 Vokkaligas, 7 OBCs, 3 Dalits, 1 ST, 1 woman, and 2 Brahmins have made it to the cabinet.