Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inducted four legislators into his Ministry on Thursday, October 29. The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Raj Bhavan. Governor Vajubhai Vala administered oath to the inductees.
The new ministers are Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president G. Parameshwara (MLC), A. Manju (Arkalgud MLA), Vinay Kulkarni (Dharwad Rural MLA), and Manohar H. Tahasildar (Hanagal MLA).
Vinay Kulkarni has been sworn-in as Excise Minister while Manju has is the new Tourism Minister. Tahsildar from Hanagal will be in-charge of the Municipal Administration and G Parameshwar has been appointed as MLC, Home.
Dr. Parameshwara had served as the Higher Education Minister in the SM Krishna government. In the 2013 Assembly elections, he lost to JD(S) candidate P.R. Sudhakarlal in Koratagere constituency (SC) in Tumakuru district. A three-time MLA, Manju belongs to the Vokkaliga community while two-time MLA Kulkarni is from the Lingayat community. Tahasildar belongs to the OBC category.
Siddaramaiah kept aspirants waiting for 20 long months before taking a decision to fill four vacancies in his cabinet. The Congress legislators raised the issue of a revamp of the ministry during every party meeting only to be told that it would be carried out after polls—first to Lok Sabha, then Rajya Sabha, gram panchayats and later BBMP.
The other aspirants however, who were unlucky this time, will have to wait till February or March 2016, and hope for a major reshuffle of the ministry to get on board.
