Bangalore: Two weeks after assuming office, the BJP-JD(S) ministry headed by H D Kumaraswamy was expanded on Friday with the induction of 20 ministers, including 11 from the saffron party.
In the much anticipated exercise, all of them weresworn in as cabinet ministers at a ceremony held at the
portals of Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat, with supporters of both coalition partners present in good numbers.
Coming to power for the first time in a southern state, BJP has given priority to its time-tested loyalists and seniors, while accommodating some new entrants as well.
Of the nine ministers from JD(S), six members who were in its previous coalition ministry with Congress, have been given berths
The new ministers are K S Eshwarappa, JagadishShettar, D H Shankara Murthy, C Ramachandra Gowda, V S Acharya, C M Udasi, Govind Karjol, R Ashok, Katta Subramany Naidu, D Sriramlu and Nagaraja Shetty, all from BJP, and Basavaraj Horatti, C Chenigappa, D T Jayakumar, Cheluvaray Swamy, Iqbal Answari, Sharanabasappa Darshanapur, BandeppaKashampur, Hanumanthappa Yelappa Alkod and BalachandraJharkiholi from JD(S).
The ministry expansion was preceded by hectic lobbying for berths, particularly in BJP which had emerged as the single largest party with 79 seats in the last polls.
(With inputs from PTI)
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