Bengaluru, In a first for Karnataka, the B.S. Yediyurappa-led BJP government will have three Deputy Chief Ministers, an official notification said on Monday.
Governor Vajubhai Vala has appointed Govind Karjole, C.N. Ashwath Narayan and Laxman Savadi as Deputy Chief Ministers, on the advice of the Chief Minister, a Raj Bhavan communique said.
The Governor has also allotted portfolios to the other 14 ministers. The allocation came nearly a week after the 17 ministers were sworn-in on August 21.
Yediyurappa, 76, became the Chief Minister for the fourth time on July 26 and won vote of confidence in the Assembly on July 29.
As the senior-most Deputy Chief Minister, Karjole will have charge of the Public Works Department and the Social Welfare Department, while Narayan will hold the portfolios of Higher Education, IT & BT and Science and Technology and Savadi will be Transport Minister.
Yediyurappa will hold all portfolios not allocated to his 17 ministers.
The 14 ministers and their portfolios are:
Jagadish Shettar — Large and Medium Scale Industries, excluding Sugar.
K.S. Eshwarappa — Rural Development & Panchayat Raj.
Basavaraj Bommai — Home excluding Intelligence Wing.
R. Ashoka — Revenue Department excluding Muzrai (Endowments).
B. Sreeramulu — Health & Education excluding Medical Education.
S. Suresh Kumar — Primary & Secondary Education and Sakala (delivery of state services through e-governance portal).
V. Somanna – Housing.
C.T. Ravi – Tourism & Kannada and Culture.
Kota Srinivas Poojari — Muzrai, Fisheries, Ports & Inland Transport.
J.C. Madhu Swamy – Law, Parliamentary Affairs & Legislation. He will also be in-charge of Minor Irrigation.
C.C. Patil – Mines & Geology.
H. Nagesh – Excise.
Prabhu Chauhan – Animal Husbandry.
Shashikala Jolle – Women & Child Development and Empowerment of differently abled and senior citizens.
Jolle is the lone woman minister in the 18-member cabinet.
In the 34-member ministry, 16 cabinet posts are vacant. They are expected to be filled when the ministry is expanded in at least two more phases.
The previous BJP government (2012-13) had Eshwarappa and Ashoka as two Deputy Chief Ministers, while G. Parameshwara of the Congress was the Deputy Chief Minister in the previous Janata Dal-Secular-Congress coalition government in power from May 23, 2018 to July 23 this year.
Yediyurappa was Deputy Chief Minister for 20 months in the JD-S-BJP coalition government from February 2006 to October 2007.
Shettar was the BJP’s third Chief Minister from August 2011 to September 2012 during the ruling party’s previous 5-year tenure (2008-13).